Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, was overwhelmed with emotion when she learned the results of a new HIV prevention drug trial conducted by Gilead. The new drug, lenacapavir, offered 100% protection against HIV for thousands of young women aged 16 to 25 in South Africa and Uganda. Bekker, who has witnessed the devastating impact of HIV…
Tag: HIV
-
HIV prevalence: health challenges and progress
A recent study reveals that women in South Africa have a higher HIV prevalence (16.4%) compared with men (8.8%). Activists identify early sexual activity, age-disparate relationships, low condom use, and having multiple sexual partners as key factors contributing to this disparity. Data from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) highlights that while South Africa is making progress against HIV/AIDS, women…
-
Alarming trends in mother-to-child HIV transmission
The South African National AIDS Council (Sanac) has set an ambitious goal to ensure that at least 95% of children infected with HIV are tested and linked to treatment and care. This initiative comes amid ongoing concerns about rising HIV infection rates among infants, particularly in the Tshwane district. The City of Tshwane’s health department recently highlighted the persistent issue…
-
New HIV prevention shot promises six months of protection
A new injection containing the antiretroviral drug lenacapavir has demonstrated highly effective results in preventing HIV infection for six months per shot. The findings, announced by pharmaceutical company Gilead, mark a significant improvement over the current two-month protection offered by the long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injection. Lenacapavir, part of a new class of antiretroviral drugs called capsid inhibitors, works by interfering…