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Guyana will soon introduce injectable HIV PrEP – Health Minister
Kaieteur News- Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), the daily oral pill used to reduce the risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, will soon be available as an injectable to increase access to the medication, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony disclosed at the 2024 World AIDS Day Conference held last weekend.
Dr. Anthony said efforts are ongoing to ensure that oral PrEP pills are distributed across the country to help individuals at risk of HIV. However, he acknowledged that some people still face challenges accessing the medication, and the ministry is focused on improving access across all regions.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony during his address at the World AIDS Day Conference
“We wanted to make sure that it is done across the country. Maybe there are more people who need to have access and therefore the 5,000 and something persons who are currently on PrEP, maybe we can improve that if we increase access across the regions and that is something that we have to continuously examine,” Minister Anthony said.
Looking to the future, Dr. Anthony emphasized that the delivery of PrEP would evolve. “We would also be able to change what PrEP looks like in the future because people taking pills and, in some cases, having to take them every day to prevent an infection is not something that they would ideally do. We know and we have seen the effective results coming out of injectable PrEP and these have made a tremendous difference because adherence has gone up and people prefer to have this methodology being used. We currently do not have that but in the near future this is the direction in which we want to go.”
World AIDS Day, observed on Sunday, December 1, 2024, saw members of the Ministry of Health’s National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) hosting a conference focused on advancing a human rights-based approach to HIV care. In his remarks, Minister Anthony highlighted the progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Guyana, while acknowledging the ongoing challenges.
“It is essential that we recognise how far we’ve come, but also acknowledge the gaps that remain. A collaborative approach is crucial to ensure equitable access to treatment and to support countries that are lagging behind in meeting global health goals,” the Minister stated via a press release from the ministry.
He called for a shift in the narrative around HIV/AIDS, advocating for more than just reporting statistics, but for actionable strategies that lead to meaningful improvements in health outcomes. The Minister also commended the work of NAPS, emphasizing the contributions of their dedicated team in advancing the fight against HIV/AIDS in Guyana.
(Guyana will soon introduce injectable HIV PrEP – Health Minister)
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