NATIONAL NEWS - As the globe commemorates World AIDS Day, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said the introduction of lenacapavir, a long-acting preventative treatment, is set to change the landscape of HIV prevention in South Africa.
This is after government recently announced the groundbreaking development in HIV prevention that promises to revolutionise how individuals safeguard themselves against the virus.
The Deputy President, who is also the Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), addressed the official commemoration at Ga-Masemola Stadium in the Sekhukhune District of Limpopo.
Lenacapavir is a revolutionary long-acting injectable drug that offers six months of protection and requires only two injections per year.
In October this year, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) achieved regulatory readiness, making it the first in Africa and the third globally to register lenacapavir.
According to the country’s second-in-command, this innovation is particularly significant for people who struggle to adhere to daily pill regimens and touched on the profound implications for marginalised communities.
“Lenacapavir offers hope for young women who cannot negotiate condom use. It empowers adolescent girls navigating relationships marked by power imbalances. It protects key populations who face stigma and discrimination.
“Lenacapavir speaks to the reality of our people’s lives, that prevention must be practical, dignified, discreet, and compatible with the pressures of daily survival.”
Acknowledging the urgency of ensuring rapid access to life-saving tools, the Deputy President warned against the missteps of the early antiretroviral therapy (ART) era.
“Let me be clear: we cannot repeat the mistakes of the early ARV era, where life-saving tools reached our shores too slowly. This time, we move with urgency, with foresight, and with unity,” he stated.
Deputy President Mashatile described the lenacapavir as more than just a drug but a symbol of what becomes possible when science, political will, and community demand meet at the same table.
Meanwhile, to tackle the significant gap of 1.1 million individuals who need access to HIV prevention, the Deputy President called for a critical examination of efforts towards marginalised communities.
“Let us confront stigma with courage, fund research, and ensure treatment reaches everyone. This is a commitment to health, dignity, justice, and equality for all people.”
Currently, South Africa’s statistics are at 96-80-97, while global figures stand at 95-85-92.
These targets are a global strategy for ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, aiming for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their status; 95% of those who know their status to be on sustained antiretroviral treatment; and 95% of those on treatment to be virally suppressed.
To confront the stubborn second 95 target, government launched an ambitious national recovery effort in February this year, known as the 1.1 million “Close the Gap” Treatment Acceleration Campaign.
“The campaign represents mothers who stopped treatment because transport was too costly, men who walked away after negative clinic experiences, young people who feared disclosure, and thousands who moved between provinces without continuity of care.”
He has since called for multi-sectoral coordination to ensure that the country continues to perform various community-based interventions.
South Africa marks today’s commemoration following a successful Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, which included the Global Fund’s 8th Replenishment Summit co-hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The replenishment campaign aims to secure US$18 billion to support health efforts from 2027 to 2029, to save 23 million lives and strengthen responses to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
In addition, he said government is working around the clock to implement policies that improve access, retention, and re-engagement with treatment.
This includes policies that directly address structural inequalities and work to dismantle stigma, particularly for the most vulnerable individuals, such as women and girls, people who use drugs, sex workers, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities (LGBTQIA+) community.
In the meantime, he said government continues to make significant improvements in HIV testing, treatment and care through expanded access to antiretroviral therapy and innovative community-led prevention efforts.
“On this World AIDS Day, we celebrate the incredible progress that has transformed HIV from a death sentence into a condition that can be managed with dignity and hope.
“Yet, our mission is far from over. Today, we stand at a defining moment – where science, compassion, and unwavering resolve can unite to end an epidemic that has cast its shadow for many years.” – SAnews.gov.za
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