Anambra Flags Off Long-Acting Injectable For HIV Prevention (LENACAPAVIR (LEN PrEP)

Anambra State Government has officially flagged off a long-acting injectable for HIV prevention in the state, LENACAPAVIR (LEN PrEP), a vaccine advancing HIV prevention.

The vaccine, which would be taken twice yearly, is at no cost and can be received at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka; Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha; Trauma Centre, Oba; Comprehensive Health Centre, Ukpo; Comprehensive Health Centre, Neni; as well as OSS, Awka.

Speaking during the exercise, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, opined that the direction towards HIV elimination is now prevention, and that the programme is an important aspect of strengthening HIV prevention among individuals and communities at high-risk levels.

The Health Commissioner warned that the drug is not to be sold or packaged for influential people, adding that people must know the value of the drugs, while thanking Governor Chukwuma Soludo for always supporting the ministry, even as he made it clear that Anambra is recording a high prevalence of HIV because many residents are testing and checking their status regularly.

The Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka, Dr Maureen Umeakuewulu, noted that the exercise is apt at this moment in time, as the country is witnessing an increasing rate of HIV prevalence among the adolescent population, saying that prevention is very important, while commending President Bola Tinubu for considering Anambra as one of the eight states selected for the rollout of the programme and Governor Chukwuma Soludo for being proactive in governance.

According to the Anambra State AIDS Programme Coordinator, Dr Tonia Mbagwu, Anambra has a prevalence rate of 2.4 percent, which is the highest in the South-East region, adding that 97,429 persons are living with the disease in the state, while also explaining how behavioural, structural, and biomedical patterns could help in the management of HIV prevalence.

Goodwill messages came from the World Health Organisation, Anambra State Agency for the Control of AIDS, National Action Committee on AIDS, Network of People with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, among numerous others, while the official flagging off of the exercise climaxed the event.