Maputo — Alice de Abreu, the Councilor for Health in Maputo Municipality, has revealed that the uptake of long-acting injectable PrEP against HIV has been high across the 27 health facilities in Mozambique's capital.
A PrEP is a pre-exposure prophylaxis which uses anti-retrovirals to prevent the multiplication of the HIV virus inside the human body. This is capable of reducing the risk of infections by more than 99 percent.
According to Abreu, who was speaking on Wednesday, at Xipamanine Health Center, during a working visit by parliamentarians from Germany and Luxembourg, who sought to monitor the implementation of this method and evaluate HIV prevention service delivery, uptake of lenacapavir has been higher than that of other prevention methods, as it requires clients to receive only two doses per year.
"Many of our patients are choosing injectable lenacapavir, which is a positive development for us. It reduces the number of times a patient needs to visit the health facility while ensuring protection through just two doses a year", she said.
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The rollout of lenacapavir in Maputo City began in May of this year, offering an additional HIV prevention alternative alongside existing methods.
De Abreu explained that users receive information about the various available options and, after learning about the advantages of each method, can choose the one they consider best suited to their needs.
The implementation strategy places special emphasis on adolescents and young people, pregnant women, key populations, and other vulnerable groups, although any eligible person can benefit from the method upon visiting a health facility.
At the Xipamanine Health Center, the delegation observed the operations of the chronic disease clinic, the Adolescent and Youth Health Services (SAAJ), and the prenatal clinic, allowing them to see the care provided to the various groups targeted by prevention efforts.
"We are demonstrating how we carry out this work by utilizing civil society organizations within communities, schools, and markets to bring in patients eligible for prevention using lenacapavir," he stated.
For his part, Johannes Wagner, a Member of the German Parliament, viewed the experience at the Xipamanine Health Center positively, noting the dedication of health professionals in caring for patients. "I am truly impressed by the work being done here to provide the best possible care for people", Wagner said, adding that it would be important for similar quality services to be made available in other regions of Mozambique.
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Wagner also called for strengthened international cooperation to address these challenges, noting that Germany, Europe, and Luxembourg bear a responsibility to support Mozambique, particularly in light of the impacts of climate change and flooding. "I believe we must do even more. We call for continuation and reinforcement of international support for Mozambique's health sector", he said.
