SA and Zambia’s HIV shot dilemma: Demand versus supply
South Africa and Zambia are grappling with a significant challenge in rolling out lenacapavir, a new six-monthly HIV prevention injection. Despite high demand and promising early results, limited supplies mean clinics often run out of stock, creating a complex balancing act between generating awareness and ensuring equitable access.
Early reports indicate a strong desire among South Africans and Zambians for the biannual HIV prevention injection known as lenacapavir. However, clinics are currently struggling to meet this demand due to limited supply. Rumours could potentially spread if the situation is kept quiet, but promoting LEN too aggressively might lead people to overcrowded, out-of-stock facilities.
Zambia has been attempting to address this challenge by spreading information about LEN in communities proximal to clinics that have the injection in stock. South Africa, on the other hand, plans to be transparent about the availability of LEN, hoping to strike a balance between generating interest and managing expectations. The key challenge is how to generate demand for a new medicine when the supply is insufficient. For lenacapavir to make a significant impact, it requires both demand and adequate supply.
Written by urgent.news from Bhekisisa's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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