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. 2020 Sep 28;15(9):e0239543.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239543. eCollection 2020.

High HIV and syphilis prevalence among female sex workers in Juba, South Sudan

Avi J Hakim  1 , Alex Bolo  1 , Margaret Werner  1 , Victoria Achut  2 , Joel Katoro  1 , Golda Caesar  2 , Richard Lako  2 , Acaga Ismail Taban  3 , Jennifer Wesson  3 , Alfred G Okiria  3
Affiliations

High HIV and syphilis prevalence among female sex workers in Juba, South Sudan

Avi J Hakim et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

HIV prevalence is estimated to be 2.7% in South Sudan; however, little is known about the young country's epidemic. We conducted a respondent-driven sampling biobehavioral survey in Juba of female sex workers (FSW) aged ≥15 years who sold or exchanged sex in the last 6 months to learn more about this population. We enrolled 838 FSW from November 2015 to March 2016 and estimated HIV prevalence to be 37.8%. Prevalence of active syphilis was 7.3%. FSW were from South Sudan and most neighboring countries. Comprehensive knowledge of HIV was 11.1% and 64.2% of FSW had never spoken with an outreach worker. In multivariable analysis, HIV was associated with being from Uganda (aOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.7-6.1) or Kenya (aOR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.5-13.0) versus from South Sudan. Our survey suggests that FSW may play a critical role in South Sudan's HIV epidemic and highlights the importance of tailoring services to the unique needs of FSW of all nationalities in Juba.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. UNAIDS. South Sudan | UNAIDS 2019 [Available from: http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/southsudan/.
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    1. South Sudan Ministry of Health. South Sudan Antenatal Clinic Sentinel Surveillance for HIV and Syphilis. Juba: Ministry of Health; 2012.
    1. Groenendiijk C, Veldwijk J. Behind the Papyrus and Mabaati: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Juba, South Sudan. Juba: Confident Children Out of Conflict; 2011.
    1. WHO and South Sudan AIDS Commission. Mapping of Female Sex Workers in South Sudan: A Georgraphical Mapping Approach. Juba: South Sudan AIDS Commission; 2012.

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