HIV and TB Overview: Senegal

Background

In 2001, CDC began working in Senegal to support the HIV/STI sentinel surveillance program. Since 2010, CDC, through PEPFAR, has continued to support Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Social Action (MOHSA).

This initiative focuses on building a sustainable and reliable national HIV surveillance system by:

• Developing a functioning HIV case reporting and surveillance system.
• Strengthening prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT).
• Strengthening HIV data quality.
• Improving on-site HIV rapid testing.

Senegal’s HIV epidemic is concentrated, impacting less than 1% of the general population. However, among people who are at higher risk, like female sex workers and men who have sex with men, the rate is up to 20 percent.

HIV and TB data

HIV/AIDS

Tuberculosis (TB)

Key activities and accomplishments

Strengthening Health Information Systems and Surveillance

CDC supports the development, strengthening, and expanding of the region's first electronic national HIV case reporting and surveillance system. CDC is also helping the country transition to routine PMTCT data usage to address HIV surveillance needs.

To improve HIV surveillance needs, CDC is strengthening the quality of HIV rapid testing and data collection protocols in PMTCT sites. CDC also helps the implementation of sentinel surveillance surveys among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics based on routine PMTCT program data.

Strengthening laboratory systems

CDC provides technical assistance to Senegal’s MOHSA to build laboratory capacity and implement an effective laboratory quality management system.

CDC’s efforts include:

• External quality assurance.
• Rapidly responding to challenges and gaps in HIV testing.
• Ensuring access to early infant diagnosis.
• Providing viral load testing.
• Training staff.
• Developing standardized procedures to support accreditation.

CDC also supported the installation of AfriQualab, an HIV-related proficiency testing program available to all African countries. The program particularly emphasizes francophone countries to support laboratories involved in a quality management process and accreditation or certification.

This initiative also led to international accreditation of the HIV reference Laboratory through Canada’s Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare. The HIV Reference Laboratory is the first public health lab in West Africa to achieve international accreditation.

Resources

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