South Africa trains nurses to deliver new HIV prevention injection
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In South Africa, healthcare workers are learning to administer lenacapavir, a new six-monthly HIV prevention injection, to patients.
After decades of experience, nurses like Sister Keitumetse Senokwane at Maria Rantho Community Health Centre and Phedisong 1 Clinic in Tshwane needed to adapt to the new injection’s unique requirements, including a different needle size and thicker solution.
The injection is being introduced as South Africa continues to address a substantial need for HIV prevention, having recorded an estimated 140,000 new infections in 2025. The Wits RHI Len4PrEP study, which began recruiting participants in late 2025, prepared the way for the national rollout of lenacapavir in June 2026 at 360 public health facilities. By October, 76,922 people had started receiving the injection nationally.
Nurses first completed a standard training course on HIV management and then received practical training focused on preparing and administering lenacapavir, covering eligibility, side effects, and counseling techniques. Clinics integrated the new injection into existing sexual and reproductive health services, offering a “one-stop shop” where patients could access multiple services during a single visit. Nurses also learned to tailor the service to patients’ needs, allowing them to choose injection sites and addressing concerns about side effects like nodules.
Early findings from the study show that patients valued the convenience of the injection, choosing it over daily pills in a ratio of 85.8% to 13.7%.
