SA gets first Lenacapavir doses as Mpumalanga waits in excitement – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.

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Residents in Mpumalanga have expressed excitement for the new HIV prevention injection called Lenacapavir after South Africa has just received the first dose of the injection.

The injection is aimed at reducing the high number of HIV cases within the country. The injection is expected to be rolled out to the provinces soon.

Mpumalanga is one of the provinces in South Africa with the highest HIV prevalence with over 800 000 people living with the HIV. The newly approved injection is set to transform the situation in Mpumalanga.

Right to care HIV organisation member and HIV expert Dr Julia Turner says the injection will be used to protect those that have not contracted the virus, she says the injection will be used, after every six months.

“So to start it off you will take two injections that will be given in the abdomen, stomach or in the buttocks. You will also take two tablets from that same day and then you will get two tablets to take home with you and the next day you take those two tablets and then from the third day it starts working and you can be prevented from getting HIV. So it’s important if someone does take the Lenacapavir that they come back for the second injection. They will need to come back between 24 and 28 weeks after their first injection,” says Turner.

‘Lesser risk of contracting’

A 51-year-old sex worker, whose name cannot be disclosed, says this will help her be at a lesser risk of contracting the virus. She says although PREP worked, there were challenges.

“I think is much user friendly so since it’s a injection which you are going to take twice a year than taking a pill everyday, because sometimes with the pill you might forget and you can be at risk,” she says.

Oral PREP user, 40-year-old Mdema Mabunda says the Health Department should implement outreach programmes as soon as the injection is distributed to the province. He says the priority should be on teenagers.

“My opinion will be that I will recommend that departments, clinic do community outreach educate people about it , the side effects of it just like they did with COVID to make sure that people know what they are getting themselves on and also it must be explained in language that is understandable to us in the communities and different age groups and approaches also so I think when there is enough education around it then obviously people will be able to take the injection but mostly the target group should be the young adults,” says Mabunda.

Meanwhile, Aurum Institute organisation member and clinician nurse Benedictor Nhlapho says, this injection will decrease the stigma around HIV and the high number of HIV cases in the province.

“It’s a game changer because with the injectable PREP, it’s long term so there’s convenience, there’s less clinic visits, because there’s only two visits per year and also there’s privacy because clients don’t have to carry the bottles home. So in terms of compliance, in terms is adherence then yeah it will really help a lot because I believe as much as we are aiming for the 2030 goal but in terms of adherence because it has high adherence due to the privacy so we might even find ourselves with Zero HIV infections before even 2030,” says Nhlapho.

Dr Turner says South Africa is working on a pill that will be taken with the Lenacapavir injection as treatment for HIV. 



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