Our Blog

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been included in the national guidelines for HIV prevention and treatment in Burundi as an important component of the overall HIV prevention strategy to reduce the rate of transmission among those most at risk of HIV infection.

As a referral centre for HIV/AIDS care, SYM was chosen as one of the pilot health facilities for the implementation of this approach.

With this in mind, a training session on the PrEP protocol was organised for SYM providers in order to implement the NACP guidelines that will help achieve the UNAIDS goals of zero new HIV infections by 2030.

PrEP offers an additional medical option for HIV prevention for HIV-negative people who are at high risk of contracting HIV. It involves taking ARV drugs before exposure to HIV.

In his presentation, Dr Emmanuel, the speaker of the day explained that: “In serodiscordant couples, in order to reduce the transmission of HIV to the uninfected partner, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEp) should be offered if the HIV-positive partner is not on ARV treatment or when his viral load is not suppressed. It is also intended for people with multiple sexual partners whose HIV status is unknown, pregnant and/or breastfeeding women at high risk of contracting HIV. ”
“PrEp lasts for at least 28 days, and only starts to be effective after the 7th dose. Monthly and then quarterly follow-up should be observed to assess whether the client has contracted HIV infection or side effects from the PrEp molecule taken,” he concluded.

It should be noted that SYM currently has 31 serodiscordant couples in its active file of 1081 PLHIV who require careful monitoring to prevent new cases of HIV infection.