Limpopo Health launches PrEP pill and U=U campaign to raise awareness against HIV/AIDS
In remembering those that have lost that lives to HIV/AIDS, and raising awareness against new infection, the 1st of December is set aside to commemorate World AIDS Day. The commemoration was held at Mahela farm, Letsitele in the Greater Tzaneen municipality where it was attended by farm workers amongst others who often don’t get an opportunity to be addressed.
The aim of the provincial government to commemorate with people working in farms was based on the fact that they often don’t get a chance to be informed of new government developments as they work far from cities and sometimes don’t get updated with the latest news.
According to the Department of Health report, the life expectancy has improved from 65.6 to 66.5 for females and from 59 .1 to 6.2 for males in the province.
The AIDS related deaths have been reduced from 8 163 in 2017 to 7 738 by end of 2022. The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission has shown improvement from 0,83% to 0.86% in the past five years with more than 95% of pregnant women infected with HIV enrolled on ARV treatment programme.
The maternal mortality has also improved from 183 deaths per 100 000 people, to 85 deaths per 100 000 population. The data has also indicated that over 410 000 people are on ARV while new infection has declined from 0.53% in 2017 to 0.42%.
Currently the province has 430 000 people on ARVs. This year’s commemoration was also used to launch the U=U campaign which means undetectable is equal to untransmissible. A person who is infected with HIV and on treatment without default reduces the number of viral loads in their body. A very low viral load is equals to undebatable virus which means a person has almost minimal chances of passing the virus to any other person.
Speaking on behalf of the Premier, MEC for Health Dr Phophi Ramathuba said PrEP is a new safe way of preventing a person of contracting HIV and can only be taken by people who do not have HIV. Any person who will be given the pill will be tested by a health professional to check if they are not already infected with the virus.
This two in one pill is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and is available in health public facilities from the 1st of December 2023.
The MEC further encouraged men to make use of public facilities to check their HIV status so that,they are able to prevent and new infection as the country aims to have a free HIV society with new born babies born HIV free.
By: Emmaculate Cindi