Roll out of HIV prevention tool a huge boost in efforts to end epidemic

THE roll out of a new HIV prevention tool: a long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis will be a turning point in ending the HIV epidemic if it reaches people at risk of HIV infection, and they accept it, says global medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

- STAFF REPORTER

The roll-out of the CAB-LA (Cabotegravir) which provides pre-exposure protection for two months has started in a number of countries supported by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). MSF is supporting the roll out of CAB-LA in four countries in southern Africa, including Eswatini.

MSF senior advisor on HIV and TB at the Southern Africa Medical Unit Antonio Flores said the dismantling of aid and uncertainty around funding from programs like PEPFAR that support HIV prevention, testing and treatment, makes it more difficult for people to access medical tools like CAB-LA.

"We expect injectable PrEP to be a game-changer, and we don't use this term lightly. Injectable PrEP has the potential to end the HIV epidemic, but it will only end the HIV epidemic if people are getting it. We know from the study data, and we know from early implementation that we would reduce new infections drastically," said Flores.

About 40 million people live with HIV globally, with one in 30 adults affected on the continent.