Zimbabwe begins rolling out a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection
Lenacapavir is offered free to more than 46,000 people at high risk, at 24 sites across the country.
Key points
- Zimbabwe began giving lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention injection taken twice a year, on 19 February 2026, one of the first countries to do so.
- The programme, funded by the United States and the Global Fund, initially targets more than 46,000 high-risk people at 24 sites.
- Priority groups include adolescent girls and young women, sex workers, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Zimbabwe has become one of the first countries in the world to roll out lenacapavir, an HIV prevention injection given just twice a year. Health authorities began administering it on 19 February 2026.
Who can get it
The programme is funded by the United States and the Global Fund and is free to users. It initially targets more than 46,000 people at high risk of HIV, at 24 sites chosen because they have the highest rates of new infections.
Priority groups include adolescent girls and young women, female sex workers, men at high risk, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Why an injection matters
Existing HIV prevention, known as PrEP, usually means taking a pill every day, which many people find hard to keep up. Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, is a small injection under the skin every six months. Health officials hope it will overcome the adherence problems of daily pills.
The bigger picture
Southern Africa has some of the highest HIV rates in the world. Kenya has also begun rolling out the drug, and South Africa is pursuing local production of it, part of a wider push for African-made medicines.
Sources
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