Cabotegravir long acting injection for PrEP.

Ciheb Zambia Technical Director Linah Mwango teaching on the injection skills for CAB-LA implementation..

In March 2023, during the COP 23 meeting in South Africa, Zambia announced the rollout of Cabotegravir Long-Acting (CAB-LA) injection for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). CAB-LA injection requires administration only once every two months, providing a more convenient option compared to daily pills for individuals at substantial risk of HIV infection.

Zambia will receive CAB-LA doses to cover 6,000 people. The country will implement a phased-out approach to scale up CAB-LA, anticipated to commence in January 2024 at four selected sites in the Central, Copperbelt, and Southern Provinces, respectively. Lessons learned from the initial four sites will be used for nationwide scaling up.

Ciheb Zambia is the leading implementing partner in Mazabuka, Southern Province, one of the first districts to implement CAB-LA. In preparation for the rollout, one Ciheb Zambia staff member was trained in September as part of the national master trainers. From November 21st to 24th, the CAB-LA training was cascaded to national trainers from selected participating provinces, with two Ciheb Zambia staff and six Provincial and District Health Office staff from Southern Province among those trained.