Healthcare providers perception on limited safety data of long-acting HIV PrEP products might affect uptake despite their important role in the delivery of prevention services.
According to a study presented at the 14th Kemri annual Scientific and health conference KASH tittled ‘health providers perceptions of the use of long-acting HIV prevention products during pregnancy and lactation in Kenya’ reveals that more research needs to be done to provide evidence-based data which would translate to higher acceptability of the long-acting PrEP products to health workers.
“Limited safety data of new long-acting HIV PrEP agents’ usage during pregnancy in women and lactation is an ongoing concern for health care workers”, the study has revealed.
Presenting the study at the 14th KASH, Kenya medical research institute (Kemri) researcher, Sharon Cherotich said that little is known about health care providers perception on the use of the long-acting HIV PrEP products during pregnancy and lactation and their perception might affect uptake despite their important role in the delivery of HIV prevention services.
She explained that health workers support use of long-acting HIV prevention products during pregnancy and lactating period because they help in addressing patient’s adherence issues associated with daily PrEP use, their potential to reduce HIV transmission rates, they offer privacy especially for women who do not want to reveal PrEP use and reduce stigma associated with PrEP use.
The study reveals that for improved health care providers acceptance to the products there is a need for safety surveillance systems to identify potential signals of risk to either the mother or the baby, measure the burden of such risk, and where appropriate, provide specific reassurance to the long-acting PrEP product users.
“The safety and efficacy concerns of these products among pregnant and lactating women may be addressed through research to provide evidence-based data which would translate to higher acceptability of these products to health workers.”
The researchers conducted a qualitative analysis study between November 2022 to January 2023 within the healthcare providers presenting those who are working in maternal and child health clinics and those offering HIV prevention services from public health facilities in central and western Nyanza.
The study used semi-structured interview guides to collect data and asses health providers perception on four long-acting HIV PrEP products such as monthly oral pills, implants, injectable and virginal rings.
Other studies suggest that two of the leading causes of HIV acquisition by Pregnant and breastfeeding women are physiologic changes during gestation that may increase susceptibility and spousal infidelity that results in male partners contracting HIV and then exposing their wives to the virus and newly acquired maternal HIV infection associated with high primary viraemia, substantially increases the risk of vertical HIV transmission.
