A slum-based healthcare rights organisation wants the new HIV prevention drug to be first rolled out in poor neighbourhoods to bear much of the epidemic’s brunt.
The lobby also wants healthcare workers to be the first to receive it.
Kibera-based CFK Africa, an international nonprofit organisation, says deprived neighbourhoods should be prioritised in distributing the vaccine.
CEO Jeffrey Okoro says the introduction of the new HIV prevention and treatment injection, Lenacapavir, could protect vulnerable communities and the health workers.
Okoro, who grew up in Kibera, says the drug’s dosage of two times a year makes it particularly suited for areas where daily medication routines are difficult to maintain.
“Healthcare workers in Kenya and other African countries face high exposure risks of HIV due to their jobs, especially maternity staff,” he said.
“They will be among the first to benefit from this new preventative HIV medication, as they are a small and easy-to-identify group and can receive the twice-yearly shot through their work.”
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