Speaking
at
the
national
launch
on
Wednesday,
United
States
Deputy
Chief
of
Mission,
Phillip
Nervig,
said
the
rollout
marks
a
decisive
moment
in
decades
of
U.S.–Zimbabwe
cooperation
on
HIV.
The
injectable
drug,
developed
by
U.S.
pharmaceutical
company
Gilead
Sciences,
will
be
administered
twice
a
year
and
is
expected
to
improve
adherence,
particularly
among
young
women,
pregnant
and
breastfeeding
mothers
and
other
at-risk
populations.
“LEN
represents
the
cutting
edge
of
HIV
prevention
science.
Already
in
use
in
the
United
States,
as
well
as
in
Zambia
and
Eswatini,
LEN
offers
Zimbabwe
an
historic
opportunity
to
sustain
its
remarkable
progress
in
controlling
the
HIV
epidemic
by
reducing
new
HIV
infections,”
Nervig
said.
Over
the
next
three
years,
the
United
States
plans
to
prevent
more
than
9,000
new
infections
through
lenacapavir.
“These
are
not
just
numbers.
These
are
Zimbabwean
children,
men
and
women
saved
who
will
be
protected
from
HIV
and
will
continue
to
pursue
their
dreams,”
Nervig
added.
The
United
States
remains
the
largest
donor
to
Zimbabwe’s
health
sector
and
has
provided
more
than
US$1.9
billion
in
taxpayer
funding
to
combat
HIV
and
AIDS
in
the
country.
The
support
has
helped
Zimbabwe
surpass
the
UNAIDS 95-95-95
targets,
a
global
benchmark
that
measures
the
percentage
of
people
living
with
HIV
who
know
their
status,
are
on
treatment,
and
have
achieved
viral
suppression.
Nervig
said
U.S.
support
is
now
evolving
under
the
America
First
Global
Health
Strategy,
with
an
emphasis
on
measurable
results
and
sustainability.
“Through
the
America
First
Global
Health
Strategy,
the
United
States
is
helping
countries
to
achieve
self-reliance,”
he
said.
“Together,
we
can
end
HIV.
I
am
confident
that
as
the
Government
of
Zimbabwe
takes
even
more
leadership,
an
AIDS-free
generation
is
within
our
reach.”