At a glance
CDC works with partners in Sierra Leone to provide technical assistance, enhance partner coordination, strengthen public health and clinical systems, and improve HIV care and treatment services.
Background
CDC began working in Sierra Leone in 2008 through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Established in 2015, the permanent country office supports the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS).
CDC’s HIV and tuberculosis (TB) technical assistance focuses on:
- Enhancing partner coordination at the national and district levels.
- Implementing effective prevention programs.
- Improving care and treatment services.
- Strengthening surveillance, program monitoring, and evaluation.
- Building premium laboratory systems to support HIV and TB testing.
Download CDC Sierra Leone's Fact Sheet
HIV and TB data
HIV/AIDS
Estimated HIV Prevalence (Ages 15-49)
Estimated AIDS Deaths (Age≥15)
Estimated Orphans Due to AIDS
Reported Number Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (Age≥15)
Tuberculosis (TB)
Estimated TB Incidence
TB Patients with Known HIV-Status who are HIV-Positive
TB Treatment Success Rate
Key activities and accomplishments
Partnerships
CDC stays involved and active in many parts of the country’s health systems, including the national AIDS response. CDC also routinely collaborates with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the lead PEPFAR implementing agency in Sierra Leone.
Quality improvement
CDC improved in-patient HIV testing coverage and the use of TB preventive treatment. These improvements helped to prevent TB amongst people living with HIV (PLHIV) and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. CDC accomplished this by supporting MOHS to design and implement two quality improvement collaboratives involving 24 healthcare facilities.
Improving HIV identification
CDC has also supported partners to improve HIV diagnosis by using community-based resources to locate contacts of PLHIV. Knowing these contacts helps to strengthen HIV case identification initiatives. Additionally, CDC and PEPFAR partners supported MOHS to improve HIV identification by utilizing an HIV screening tool. This led to improving HIV diagnosis in 15 healthcare facilities.
Increasing access to antiretroviral therapy
CDC and PEPFAR also helped MOHS to improve linking newly identified PLHIV to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This was accomplished by providing mentorship to service providers and patient-centered interventions.
Strengthening health information systems and surveillance
CDC, with PEPFAR's support, provides strategic information and technical assistance to help the National AIDS Response. The priority is addressing unmet needs and advancing progress toward epidemic control. There is an emphasis on reaching people who are at higher risk. CDC also supports the National AIDS Secretariat in conducting a national Integrated Bio-behavioral Surveillance Survey (IBBSS).
Additionally, CDC supports capacity building for MOHS to use data for decision-making to guide HIV and TB programs. CDC-Sierra Leone's Field Epidemiology Training Program has completed 17 HIV and TB-related projects, including:
- Identifying newly diagnosed TB cases.
- Analyzing HIV viral load and HIV linkage to care data.
- Evaluating early infant diagnosis.
Strengthening laboratory systems
To help the National AIDS Response, CDC, with support from PEPFAR, helps to strengthen laboratory performance aspects central to achieving epidemic control. For example, enhancing point-of-care laboratory testing for multidrug-resistant TB, extensively drug-resistant TB, and HIV/TB co-infection.
CDC and PEPFAR partners also supported the MOHS in developing a National Quality Manual for Quality Management Systems. This manual helped to produce improvements across a broad range of systems and processes at the site level.
Resources
Support for CDC's global HIV and TB efforts
Our success is built on the backbone of science and strong partnerships.