Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication to prevent HIV infection in HIV-negative people. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout the body, and when taken daily, oral PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV from sex or injection drug use. Additionally, expectant mothers who are HIV-negative can take PrEP to prevent infection, and thus prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), during the critical periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding.[1] PrEP and the prevention of MTCT greatly contribute to the UNAIDS “fast-track” targets for prevention, which aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections in 2030 to fewer than 200,000.[2]
Despite scale-up of HIV testing and treatment in Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), as well as individuals in sero-discordant relationships, have high incidence of HIV. I-TECH supports PrEP delivery at HIV care and treatment clinics for partners of individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, I-TECH’s work in PrEP coincides with its efforts to support programs that provide for the physical and mental health of AGYW.
In partnership with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, I-TECH faculty Jeff Lane and Aaron Katz prepared the briefs in the sidebar, which outline policy considerations for the scale-up of PrEP for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.
I-TECH Tanzania has implemented many pre- and in-service training initiatives and materials, as well as adopted TrainSMART. TrainSMART I-TECH Tanzania adopted TrainSMART, a database system created by I-TECH, to track health care worker (HCW) training, and has integrated TrainSMART with the national Human Resource Information System (HRIS). The TrainSMART system helps to ensure a strong and…
O’Bryan G, Chirairo H, Munyayi F, Ensminger A, Barnabee G, Dzinotyiweyi E, Mwandingi L, Ashipala L, Forster N, O’Malley G, Golden M. Assisted Partner Notification Services in Namibia: Comparison of Case-Finding in Persons With New and Previously Diagnosed Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Success as a Platform for PrEP Referral. Sex Transm Dis. 2024 Mar 1;51(3):214-219. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001922
I-TECH began supporting the implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of Namibia’s combination HIV prevention strategy in 2017. I-TECH’s support for PrEP in Namibia is focused on three key areas: site-level direct service delivery support for PrEP for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW); site-level technical assistance to strengthen facility-based delivery of PrEP for…
As a key component of I-TECH’s support to HIV care continuum strengthening in Namibia, I-TECH supports the Ministry of Health and Social Services in efforts to achieve the UNAIDS target of “90% of people living with HIV will have a known status.” I-TECH supports above-site HIV testing activities at region-and national-levels, as well as technical assistance and…
