BOOST IN HIV FIGHT

Talent Gore

ZIMBABWE has started implementing the long acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in a move that is set to expand HIV prevention methods in the country.

The country becomes the third in Southern Africa, after Malawi and Zambia, to receive the long acting injectable PrEP.

CAB-LA is the third PrEP product recommended by WHO for HIV prevention.

Tenofovir-based oral PrEP was recommended in 2015 and the dapivirine ring, another long-acting product, was recommended in 2021.

Speaking during a media science café organised by Health Communicators Forum yesterday, Health and Child Care Ministry HIV prevention clinical officer, Dr Idah Moyo, said the injectable PrEP was being implemented in stages.

“The long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV PrEP is meant to prevent the acquisition of HIV for people that are HIV negative and they’re at a risk of contracting HIV,” she said.

“For right now, it’s only going to be implemented under a research setting and there are 15 implementing sites.

“The implementation is at its infancy stage so through that we are going to be getting an insight on how we can then roll it out to the greater population nationwide.”

Dr Moyo added that CAB-LA will be added to the already existing package.

“CAB LA is being used with other prevention strategies such as condoms because it will not prevent an individual from contracting an STI,” she said.

“The pre-exposure prophylaxis programme started in 2016 so since inception we have had about 217 461 new PrEP initiations.

“In 2021, the MCAZ approved the use of the dapivirine ring with the Ministry of Health recommending that it should be implemented under research settings, it is still being implemented under research, it has not been fully rolled out.”

Dr Moyo said the country had made great strides and was the 9th country with the highest PrEP initiations among the 120 countries that are reporting Pre exposure prophylaxis.