Could new prevention tools eliminate HIV infections?

What could end HIV and AIDS as a public health threat? While there is still no vaccine or cure, long-acting tools like Lenacapavir, the twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, could significantly reduce the amount of new infections. Many health experts believe it may help us see the end of HIV as an epidemic.

On today’s show, reporter Leah Kahunde Ndung’u examines what Lenacapavir’s rollout will mean for Uganda, which was one of two Lenacapavir trial countries in Africa. She speaks with the Uganda trial’s principal investigator, Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, and HEPS Uganda Executive Director Kenneth Mwehonge, among others.

Then, host Henry Bonsu interviews Wafaa El-Sadr, founder and director of ICAP at Columbia University, as well as executive vice president overseeing Columbia Global. She was also a MacArthur genius fellow. El-Sadr has overseen HIV treatment programs in more than 40 countries. She shares her innovative approach to service delivery.

The Threshold is made possible in part through funding from the Gates Foundation.

Guests and organizations:

• Wafaa El-Sadr, founder and director of ICAP at Columbia University, executive vice president of Columbia Global
• Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, director of research for the Makerere University and Johns Hopkins Research Collaboration (MU-JHU)
• Kenneth Mwehonge, executive director of HEPS Uganda

Listen to the episode: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/the-threshold/the-promise-of-prep-for-hiv/