SOUTH SUDAN: MSF calls for action on HIV and tuberculosis amid multiple crises
In a Comment article published in The Lancet HIV, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) highlights the critical health crises posed by HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in South Sudan, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts and climate emergencies. With estimates indicating that only 41% to 62% of individuals living with HIV are aware of their status, and less than half receiving treatment, the need for immediate action is clear. The stagnation of TB incidence over the past decade further underscores the urgency of addressing these epidemics, which collectively contributed to a third of deaths among adults aged 15-49 in 2019.
To effectively combat these challenges, MSF recommends implementing flexible and adaptive healthcare strategies that prioritise person-centred solutions, including decentralised treatment distribution, adaptive supply chains, and robust data monitoring. Major donors, such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR, play a crucial role in this effort and must ensure that funding is allocated strategically to meet the diverse needs across the country. Addressing cultural barriers and stigma is also essential to ensure vulnerable populations can access the care they need.
“At MSF, we recognise that the intertwined crises of conflict and climate shocks are not just background issues; they are central to the ongoing HIV and tuberculosis epidemics in South Sudan. Our call to action is clear: we must adopt adaptive, integrated health strategies that respond to these challenges. Only by addressing the unique vulnerabilities faced by communities in this volatile environment can we hope to achieve meaningful progress in healthcare access and treatment outcomes for those living with these diseases,” says Buai Tut Chol, Deputy Medical Coordinator in South Sudan.
The complexity of the situation in South Sudan demands a collaborative approach among stakeholders to develop responsive strategies that address both HIV and TB in crisis-afflicted contexts. As we confront these pressing health challenges, it is imperative to foster further dialogue and action to ensure that the needs of affected communities in volatile settings are met effectively and sustainably.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(24)00207-8/fulltext
Comment pieces are written by experts in the field, and represent their own views, rather than necessarily the views of The Lancet or any Lancet specialty journal.
South Sudan MSF activity map 2023: Photographer: MSF| Location: South Sudan|Date: 25/04/2024
Treza Noyul, a South Sudanese returnee, waits for her turn to seek medical consultation in a mobile clinic run by MSF at the Riverside transit site in Renk town, Upper Nile State, South Sudan. She is one of the many affected by the conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023. Photographer: Nasir Ghafoor | Location: South Sudan |Date: 07/06/2023
Jane Rabothata
About Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a global network of principled medical and other professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work, driven by our common humanity and guided by medical ethics. We strive to bring emergency medical care to people caught in conflicts, crises, and disasters in more than 70 countries worldwide.
In South Africa, the organisation is recognised as one of the pioneers of providing Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in the public sector and started the first HIV programmes in South Africa in 1999. Until today, the focus of MSF’s interventions in the country has primarily been on developing new testing and treatment strategies for HIV/AIDS and TB in Eshowe (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Khayelitsha (Western Cape).
In Tshwane, we run a migration project, and we offer medical and psychosocial care to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, who struggle to access public health services under South Africa’s increasingly restrictive.
Previously we offered free, high-quality, confidential medical care to survivors of SGBV in Rustenburg.
To learn more about our work in South Africa, please visit this page on our website (www.msf.org.za). To support MSF’s work:
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