I briefly did some work with an HIV research organization in South Africa.
One dynamic I was shocked to hear was the prevalence of marriages where one partner (always the husband in this context) is HIV positive and the other is secretly on prep. In this context infidelity may be a norm and traditional cultural and gender norms may look negatively or skeptically at anti-retrovirals.
While this isn’t the majority of the HIV experience in South Africa, it’s certainly a sizable group.
Further, adherence more generally is a massive problem. The cost of travel to a clinic in both rural and urban settings can be prohibitive for many and cause major adherence drop-off.
Drugs like this, if made affordable, will go a long way to immediately easing pressure on these groups - and that’s exciting.
One dynamic I was shocked to hear was the prevalence of marriages where one partner (always the husband in this context) is HIV positive and the other is secretly on prep. In this context infidelity may be a norm and traditional cultural and gender norms may look negatively or skeptically at anti-retrovirals.
While this isn’t the majority of the HIV experience in South Africa, it’s certainly a sizable group.
Further, adherence more generally is a massive problem. The cost of travel to a clinic in both rural and urban settings can be prohibitive for many and cause major adherence drop-off.
Drugs like this, if made affordable, will go a long way to immediately easing pressure on these groups - and that’s exciting.