The GOVERNMENT has confirmed that the injection to prevent HIV, which has been talked about for some time, will begin to be available on June 5 this year.
This was announced by the National Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, yesterday when he presented his Department’s budget in Parliament in Cape Town.
Motsoaledi said the injection, known as Lenacapavir, will be available at selected health centers across the country.
He said that starting the use of this injection is one of the efforts to fight the infection of people with this virus. He stressed that this is an important step in ensuring that the number of people infected with the virus is reduced.
“The president has given us a date of June 5, 2026 to start using Lenacapavir,” said Motsoaledi.
He said the Ministry will start delivering injections to 360 centers in the next two weeks.
He said that the institutions selected to benefit from this first program are those in the regions with high numbers of people affected by the virus.
He said that the injection, which will require those who are injected to keep coming back for injections, will be provided to those who are considered to be at risk of infection, including those who are already in the growth stage as well as those aged 24 and under.
He said they will pay special attention to girls, young women, pregnant and lactating women, prostitutes, LGBTQIA+ and men who sleep with others.