Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, Director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town; Dr Keith Cloete, Head of Department: Health and Wellness; Mireille Wenger, Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness; and Amelia Mfiki, Co-Chairperson of the Provincial Council on AIDS and TB.
A total of 22 healthcare facilities will roll out the first phase of long-acting HIV prevention medication Lenacapavir in the Western Cape.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness started the phased rollout on Monday of medication that offers renewed hope in the fight against HIV.
Lenacapavir is a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that helps prevent HIV infection and is administered as an injection every six months. It is not a vaccine but a long-acting prevention medicine that offers an alternative to daily oral PrEP for eligible individuals.
Health and Wellness MEC Mireille Wenger said the introduction of Lenacapavir demonstrates the progress that continues to be made in HIV prevention.
