The government of South Africa will this year launch a nationwide campaign to identify and place an additional 1.1 million people living with HIV on treatment, as South Africa moves closer to achieving the global 95-95-95 HIV targets.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the plan in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday (12 February), noting that the country has made significant progress toward ending HIV and AIDS as a public health threat.

By the end of March 2024, 96 percent of people living with HIV in South Africa knew their status. Of those, 79 percent were receiving antiretroviral treatment, and 94 percent of those on treatment were virally suppressed.

To close the remaining gap and reach the 95-95-95 targets — which aim for 95 percent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed to receive sustained treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression — government will intensify efforts to trace and initiate treatment for those not yet receiving care.

The President said the campaign forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the healthcare system and improve access to essential services under the planned National Health Insurance (NHI).

However, Ramaphosa expressed concern about the potential impact of the United States government’s decision to suspend some funding for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programmes in African countries for 90 days.

The funding accounts for approximately 17 percent of South Africa’s HIV expenditure.

He said government is assessing interventions to ensure continuity of essential services, noting that South Africa has historically funded a significant share of its HIV and TB response from the national fiscus.

The renewed push to find and treat more people living with HIV is aimed at sustaining progress, preventing new infections, and ultimately ending HIV and AIDS as a public health threat.