Radio Miraya
2865: World Aids Day: Over 100,000 People Are Currently Living with HIV in South Sudan
This year's the global team is take the right spot. Global leaders are sending out strong message that ending AIDS by 2030 is possible if everyone's rights is protected. A couple of weeks ago, his excellency vice president of service cluster Mr. Hosan El-Bagi and the DSRG Kiki launched World AIDS campaign and send out the messages of upholding human rights approaches in HIV response which is key to ensuring that no one is left behind in the HIV response in South Sudan. So what is the current situation like described to us like the current situation regarding HIV status in the country? In South Sudan, there are currently approximately 140,000 people living with HIV with 1.6% HIV infection rate among adult population and about 8,000 people are newly infected annually. The considering the fragile health system and facilities, this is a considerable burden for the country. And there are continued high levels of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV and in particular the key and vulnerable population that makes it difficult to access HIV related services in the country. Thank you for that. And have you mentioned the number of people infected in South Sudan? How important is education and awareness campaign in reducing HIV transmission and what initiatives are currently in place to support this? HIV awareness is still a challenge in South Sudan. Many people still do not know the basic knowledge of how HIV is transmitted, how to prevent it, and there are a lot of misconceptions and many of them are due to poor knowledge about the pattern of infection and the causes of infection in the country. And it also adds and fuels the stigma and discrimination. And there is also low uptake of HIV services in our communities and half of the people who are living with HIV in the country do not know their HIV status. Hence, awareness campaign is an area that requires more strategic investment and prioritization. Also, the ongoing economic crisis, making it difficult for the government to pay attention to us and hence domestic investment. The country is mostly funded by external resources for the HIV program and with external funding it is not always possible to cover the entire country. So, there is a need that government to come forward and invest in the areas where there is gap and where there is areas where there is no services. Can you just mention now that a lot of people do not know their HIV status, so how do you encourage people to get tested? As I mentioned, awareness remains the key. People should be educated about the disease itself, how it transmits, how to avoid the misconceptions and where to get the services, use of mass media, radio, television and other forms of communication. We need to make sustained effort so that people are aware about the services. Services are offered free, so if people would like to take the HIV services, it is available in the country in most places. More than 200 health facilities provide HIV testing and treatment and comprehensive services in the country. Thank you for that. And talking about services, what programs are in place to reach out to individuals living with HIV in South Sudan? South Sudan has full range of HIV services available, and as I mentioned that it is freely available. So, if people are willing to know their HIV status, they can go to the health facilities and get the services. And treatment facilities are also available. There are currently about more than 70,000 people on treatment. And there are also facilities for checking the viral load, how much virus is in the blood so that they know their situation. However, there are some limited services for people living with advanced HIV diseases, which currently we are working on and will be strengthened in the future. There are a couple of donors which provided assistance to South Sudan government. U.S. government provides about $40 million a year, while the Global Fund through UNDP and Ministry of Health supports the commodities, HIV testing kits, ARV drugs, etc. And UN agencies also putting a small amount of money for the HIV program. And all these programs are coordinated by South Sudan ex-commission and Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries, along with UNIC Nations support services. Talking about all these services, which particular areas in South Sudan do we find them or visit all of South Sudan that some of these services for people living with HIV are found? Services are available across the country. You know, due to war and conflict, there are many health facilities which are not functional. There are more than 1,500 health facilities in South Sudan that have basic health services, but all of them do not offer HIV services. There are more than 230 or 340 health services where you can find a comprehensive HIV services in the country. There are areas where, you know, services are scared and, you know, flooding, communication. These all make some people difficult to get their services, but the services are available across the country, I should say. South Sudan faces many challenges in health care, and what are some of the main obstacles in addressing HIV in the country? Stigma and discrimination remains a big challenge for the country. Due to stigma, a lot of people are not able to take the services, and there are also some human rights issues like people who are vulnerable and keep populations like female sex workers, who are also finding difficult for harassment, frequent arrests. So that, you know, these are some of the, you know, human rights and discrimination and stigma really keeping people, you know, taking it difficult to services. And also, I'm saying earlier that reliance on external donor, if you rely on external donor, then, you know, your ownership and sustainability of the response is also a big, big challenge for the country. And how is UNAIDS collaborating with the South Sudan governments and other organizations to strengthen the fight against HIV in the country? UNAIDS is not a donor agency, you know, we bring technical support to the government of South Sudan. We work very closely with South Sudanese Commission and the Ministry of Health. Although HIV is a multi-sectoral response, there are other ministries like Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, who are also part of the response. But the multi-sectoral response is relatively weak in the country, and it is due to funding and also effort. And UNAIDS collaborates with the government to identify the areas where the technical assistance is needed, likewise providing technical support for developing the strategic planning, resource mobilization, and also UNAIDS coordinates within the UN family for the year. So, coordinated effort for HIV/AIDS in the country. Alright, as you wind up, this is South Sudan joined the rest of the world in commemorating World AIDS Day. What would be your message to the people of South Sudan that are listening to you at the moment? Under the auspicious of South Sudanese Commission, there will be a national celebration to mark the day on 3rd of December, Tuesday at Nia Curran Cultural Center. The guest of honor will be his Excellency Vice President Hussein Abdul-Bagi Service Cluster. And UNAIDS and the government, we are working side by side, and the strong message that we are giving that, you know, human rights, protecting the rights of the people is key to upholding to protect the HIV and ensure that no one is left behind in HIV response in South Sudan. I also encourage the people of South Sudan, please go and get the test, know your HIV status, and feel free to avail the services which are available in the country.