1. Lesotho is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a per capita income of £340
  2. Lesotho has the third highest HIV rate, with a 29% infection rate for people between 16 and 49 years of age
  3. In 2003, 29 000 people in Lesotho died from AIDS/HIV-related causes
  4. Lesotho’s entire population is to be screened for HIV
  5. Lesotho is the first country in the world to offer HIV tests to its entire population
  6. King Letsie III is likely to become the first monarch to take the test publicly
  7. Life expectancy in Lesotho has dropped from 52 to just 34 years since 2000
  8. The brain drain drawing Africa’s nurses to the West has also been blamed for exacerbating the problem
  9. In Lesotho, all members of the population over the age of 12 will know their HIV status by the end of 2007
  10. Tests cannot be mandatory under international human rights law
  11. The simple act of testing could have as important an impact as as a moderately effective vaccine
  12. The test is simple and only requires a finger-prick of blood that takes 15 minutes to show the if the virus is present
  13. The idea of testing is going to be introduced within each community through village chiefs at a pitso
  14. Only 21 000 people in Lesotho took an HIV test in 2004
  15. 40.3 million people in the world are living with AIDS
  16. Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected part of the world with 26.0 million sufferers
  17. The highest rates in the world are in Swaziland (39%), Botswana (37%) and Lesotho (29%)
    [Source]