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Project PrEP

Infectious Diseases
Sexual and Reproductive Health

Project PrEP: Integrating PrEP into Comprehensive Services for Adolescent Girls and Young Women

Rationale

Project PrEP is a Unitaid funded project that started in 2018 providing oral PrEP to AGYW as part of a comprehensive SRH package in eight fixed facilities and four mobile clinics in three provinces in South Africa. The project goal is to implement and evaluate a multi-component intervention, and in that context, the project is working to increase demand for PrEP in high priority communities where the eight clinics are located by implementing targeted and specially designed demand creation activities. Those interested are linked to care for testing and those that are HIV negative and at risk, offered and provided PrEP as part of a comprehensive SRH package through those fixed and mobile facilities. The project is implemented using a cluster approach, where each cluster comprises two or more primary healthcare facilities and a mobile clinic that circulates within that cluster to provide services to the communities surrounding the clinics. Implementation is in 4 clusters that are in Tshwane, Mthatha, Gqeberha and eThekwini. Each cluster sees implementation activities of interlinked and overlapping components within the community, the fixed facilities, and mobile clinics. In January 2022, the project entered its 2nd phase of implementation in which it will work to introduce and integrate new biomedical prevention options including Dapivirine ring (DVR) and cabotegravir long-acting injectable (CAB-LA) thereby expanding PrEP choice and improving PrEP uptake and continuation. This 2nd phase sees the project further decentralize PrEP service provision to include self-care and test and evaluate additional community service delivery points. The second phase will end in June 2026.

Primary Objectives

  • To increase the uptake and coverage of PrEP among AGYW and at-risk groups through the introduction and integration of new biomedical prevention options (CAB-LA and DVR) in addition to oral PrEP into comprehensive SRH services in real world settings.
  • To improve the uptake of PrEP among AGYW through the development and implementation of a decentralized service delivery model.
  • To improve the diagnosis and management of STIs among PrEP users, through the implementation of a youth centred aetiological approach to STI management.
  • To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the different interventions and implementation models

Investigators

  • Prof Saiqa Mullick, Principal Investigator
  • Vusile Butler, Co-Investigator
  • Dr Catherine Martin, Co-investigator

Latest Update

April 2024

For more about Project PrEP please email rhicomms@wrhi.ac.za