Establishing a national laboratory quality system for HIV diagnosis and monitoring in resource-limited settings: Experience from Senegal

Senegal is a Western African Country, with a population of around 14 million people and 14 administrative regions. Based on the 2013 census, the total population of the country is estimated at 14 799 859 inhabitants, with a median population age of 18 years old.1 Senegal, has a broadbased, pyramid-shaped age structure, which is characteristic of a population with a very high proportion of children and young people (Table 1). In 2013, the Crude Birth Rate was 37.2 per thousand, with a sex ratio at birth of around 105 men per 100 women. Additionally, approximately 43% of the population is under 15 years of age, with an infant mortality rate of 47 deaths per 1000 births, and an overall risk of dying between birth and five years estimated at 72 deaths per 1000. The life expectancy at birth was 64 years in 2013.1