Moving South Africa from 86:65:81 to 90:90:90 Messaging:

South Africa can move from 86% who are aware of their HIV status:65% on HIV treatment:81% virally suppressed to 90:90:90 target by 2020.  By 2016, South Africa was still ranked the biggest and most high profile HIV epidemic in the world, with an estimated 7.1 million people living with HIV. South Africa accounts for a third of all new HIV infections in southern Africa.  South Africa has the largest antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme in the world and these efforts have been largely financed from its own domestic resources. In 2015, the country was investing more than $1.34 billion annually to run its HIV programmes. The political regime addresses those who are at-risk with special initiatives targeting women and transgender persons. South Africa's National Strategic Plan 2017-2022 identifies a number of groups who are particularly at risk of HIV transmission. These include: sex-workers, men-who-have-sex-with-men, transgender women, People who inject drugs (PWID), Children and orphans, women, adolescent girls. Testing for HIV is prioritized and a new National Strategic Plan has identified closing these testing gaps as being a key priority. HIV prevention services that have been strengthened include: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT); Condom use and distribution; Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC); PrEP; HIV education; HIV awareness. South Africa implemented ‘test and treat’, whereby everyone with a positive diagnosis was eligible to start treatment. This has meant that the number of people eligible for treatment has increased from 3.39 million in the middle of 2015 to 7.1 million in 2016 – more than doubling in just one year. South Africa has provided opportunities for establishment of a civil society galvanized to end HIV and abuses that fuel it. Over 136,453 civil society organisations are working in the South African HIV response. This prevention and care work force will also tackle such aspects like TB, address violence , get more non-citizens to enroll in HIV care services and build a critical mass of value for money practices. By 2020, the world’s biggest HIV epidemic will be turned around into the world’s largest treatment success.