WHO Consultation on HIV PrEP for women and adolescent girls
The World Health Organisation(WHO) Technical Consultation on HIV PreExposure Prophylaxis for Women and Adolescent Girls brought together public health and clinical experts at a two-day meeting in Durban on 27 -28 September.
The meeting, which was convened by the WHO and hosted by CAPRISA, was attended by representatives from WHO, UNITAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation for Professional Development, CHAI, Office of the U.S.
Global AIDS Coordinator, Pangaea, JHPIEGO, as well as leading HIV research organisations in Africa. During the consultation experts on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), sexual and reproductive health and antenatal care services (including prevention of mother-to-child transmission) and HIV services for adolescents, highlighted issues that have implications for the implementation of PrEP for women and adolescent girls.
These include PrEP safety in pregnancy; the utility and feasibility of including PrEP during the antenatal and breastfeeding period; data to support prioritisation of PrEP services for women and adolescent girls; and service delivery approaches for different settings and populations.
The outcomes from the meeting will be incorporated into the WHO PrEP implementation guidelines. “These guidelines will provide countries with programmatic guidance for the safe, strategic and cost effective implementation of PrEP for women and adolescent girls including pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding,” said Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, associate scientific Director CAPRISA.
Delegates at the WHO Technical Consultation on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Women and Adolescent Girls held over two days at the Elangeni hotel in Durban.