The City of Cape Town has been hard at work as it tries to protect residents against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STI) and promote condom awareness during the Month of Love. As a result, the City’s Health Department has launched an ambitious HIV preventative strategy that is focused on HIV negative residents.
Pre Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP is a medicine taken by people at risk of HIV and is used to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use.
The beneficial drug will now be available from 26 clinics across the City and no charge, as per IOL.
“Around 38% of South Africa’s population and 36% of all people living with HIV live in the five metropolitan districts of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Johannesburg and Tshwane,” according to a study published in 2021 titled ’Modelling of HIV prevention and treatment progress in five South African metropolitan districts,’ The City’s mayoral committee member for community services and health Patricia Van der Ross stated to IOL.
Along with receiving the drug, residents will have the chance to learn more about the virus, receive an HIV test, and counselling, before receiving PrEP.
‘‘If taken correctly, on a daily basis, PrEP is very effective at preventing HIV. Your sexual and reproductive health is your responsibility. Visit your nearest clinic with any concerns or questions, and do what is necessary to protect yourself and those you love,” Van der Ross urged Capetonians.
The move comes after the City of Cape Town expressed concern that the number of male condoms used last year had dropped to half the usage of the years before – from 30.6 million to 16 085 200. Van der Ross has attributed this decline to the fact that residents were locked up at home, or making fewer visits to clinics during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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