'100% free': Uganda set to roll out twice-yearly HIV prevention jab in Lira

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Uganda will on Friday (April 17) officially launch the national rollout of the long-acting HIV prevention drug lenacapavir at Lira Regional Referral Hospital in the country’s efforts to reduce new HIV infections through innovative prevention methods. 

The launch ceremony will be officiated by the Minister of Health and Lira City Woman MP, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, in the presence of other health stakeholders and funding partners.

The injectable medication will be added to Uganda’s expanded HIV prevention strategy and will be introduced as a twice-yearly option for people assessed to be at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Health officials have stressed that lenacapavir is not a vaccine, but a long-acting antiretroviral drug used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), administered every six months to individuals who test HIV-negative but remain highly vulnerable to infection.

The health ministry said the rollout will prioritise key and vulnerable populations most affected by new HIV infections.

These include sexually active adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24, discordant couples, female sex workers and their clients, fisherfolk, long-distance truck drivers, and individuals with multiple sexual partners. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who fall within high-risk categories will also be eligible under the programme.

'100 percent free'

According to Dr Herbert Kadama, the national PrEP coordinator at the health ministry, access will be strictly guided by clinical screening at designated health facilities.

Health workers will assess eligibility based on HIV status and behavioural risk.

“We don’t have a test for lying, but we have a screening tool that all facilities will use, and this jab will be 100 percent free of charge and accessed strictly at the government facilities," said Kadama.

"We screen people hoping they give us the right information,” he added, noting that eligibility will depend on self-reported exposure and risk assessment by trained health workers.

The​ rollout will be implemented in phases, beginning with about 100 health facilities across the country before expanding to approximately 300 sites nationwide.

The programme is designed to complement existing oral PrEP services and strengthen Uganda’s broader HIV prevention response.

While the initial rollout will start with about 19,200 doses supplied through global health partners like the Global Fund, Kadama said the government is working on domestic funding arrangements to ensure long-term sustainability and continued access as demand grows.

Some 30,000 doses are expected later this year, he said.