HIV/AIDS Epidemic Spreading in Southern Sudan, UNDP Report Says
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading in Southern Sudan, where many people do not have access to clean water, educational services and sanitation, according to a United Nations Development Programme report, Reuters reports. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Sudan is believed to have moved in the generalized phase ... where infection has gone beyond high-risk groups into the general population," the UNDP report said. The report, which is among the first to publish statistics on poverty, health and education in the region, noted that health and education declined while the region was at war with Northern Sudan. The report also said that conditions in the northern region had progressed slightly during the last 15 years but that monitoring of HIV/AIDS is insufficient. In 2000, government spending on health services averaged about $2.50 per person, according to the report (Khan, Reuters, 9/5).
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