South Africa: Lenacapavir Gains Ground As Western Cape Uptake Passes 3,600
[Daily Maverick] From counselling about small nodules to overcoming people's fears of needles, Spotlight takes the pulse of a new HIV prevention injection's rollout in the Western Cape.
South Africa's Western Cape province is witnessing a surge in the adoption of lenacapavir, a new HIV prevention injection, according to the Spotlight. As of 23 August, 3,641 individuals had been initiated onto the injectable prevention method, known as LEN, across 22 government clinics in the province. Nationally, the number stood at 47,934.
One of the local champions of this new HIV prevention strategy is Olwam Plaatjie, a 20-year-old resident of Crossroads who previously took cabotegravir injections every two months. Plaatjie now switches to lenacapavir, despite noticing small nodules forming at the injection sites on her abdomen. She attributes her shift to the new injection to a fear of HIV that she and many others in her community share.
Plaatjie's boyfriend, for instance, was unwilling to go for HIV tests, which led her to take preventive measures personally.
Experts from the national Department of Health, including spokesperson Foster Mohale, have highlighted the role of national government campaigns in encouraging young women to take charge of their health. The campaigns aim to address the unique vulnerabilities of this demographic by providing HIV prevention strategies like lenacapavir.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
