Around 152,000 people –– some 2.7 percent of all adults in South Sudan –– are estimated to be living with HIV and every year 16,000 people are newly infected with HIV, including 3,000 children.
Only ten percent South Sudanese adults have ever tested for HIV and only seven per cent of those needing treatment are currently taking anti-retroviral drugs.
The numbers were disclosed by UNAIDS.
People with HIV often suffer high levels of stigmatization and discrimination and knowledge of HIV and access to HIV services remain very low, UNOCHA said.
The situation worsens in areas affected by emergencies, where access to healthcare is even lower than the national average and disease and food insecurity levels are high.