South Sudan | Programme areas | HIV prevention and control

HIV prevention and control

Print PDF

The programme provides strategic leadership for the national health sector response to HIV/AIDS. WHO provides technical support to the national HIV/AIDS programme to scale-up treatment, care and prevention services, as well as maintain and increase access to drugs and diagnostics, and acquisition of strategic information.

By the end of 2011, WHO, with support from Global Fund to Fights AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,had assisted the development of normative and technical guidance to support:

the scale-up of HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector

monitoring and evaluation

HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance

blood safety

strategic and operational planning for HIV/AIDS and STIs

capacity-building including provision of mentorship and training for health-care providers.

As of December 2011, 22 health facilities were offering antiretroviral therapy, with around 8900 patients accessing HIV care services, of which 3442 are reported to be on antiretroviral treatment.

Over 50 000 people have accessed voluntary HIV testing and counselling services and over 40 000 pregnant women have received services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV over the last year.

Key health-related statistics

Total population (000s) 8260
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100 000 live births) 2054.0
Total life expectancy at birth (years) 42.0

Source: Country statistical profiles (2013)

South Sudan country profile