Getrude Ncube, Ministry of Health and Child Care National HIV Prevention Coordinator (pic by Daphne Machiri)
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA in BULAWAYO
An encouraging number of men are coming forward to access Lenacapavir (LEN), the new long-acting injectable HIV prevention medicine, compared to other Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) methods, health experts have revealed.
This trend has been described as positive, considering that men’s health-seeking behaviour is historically poor.
Gertrude Ncube, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) National HIV Prevention Coordinator, revealed this during a MoHCC Lenacapavir and HIV Prevention media training facilitated by OPHID and Health Communicators Forum (HCF), sponsored by the United States Government in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
Ncube said statistics from the programme show that men are responding positively to LEN.
“The statistics are there, that’s why we are saying men are actually coming.
“If you look at oral PrEP, we find that it’s mainly women who are coming and besides MSM (men who have sex with men) and other high risk men. They (men) were not really coming (for oral PrEP), as they were really coming for Lenacapavir.
“Like I even said, when we started at this site, the first person knocking at the door was a man,” said Ncube.
She added that the trend is not unique to Zimbabwe, as reports from other countries such as Zambia have revealed similar patterns.
She added that programme data is analysed by gender and currently indicates promising male participation, although women continue to make significant use of oral PrEP and long-acting injectable Cabotegravir (CAB-LA).
Ncube said current figures show that men account for 33 percent of those accessing LEN, describing this as a significant achievement at this early stage of the rollout.
“Thirty three percent for men, compared with other methods, I think it’s really a lot for now.
“Maybe by December it will have changed, but we are saying who is coming for LEN right now when we are analysing the statistics,” Ncube said.
As at May 7, 2026, figures from 11 pilot health facilities show that 492 men have been initiated on the long-acting prevention option alongside 986 women, bringing the total number of clients reached to 1,478.
Although women account for the larger share of initiations at 67 percent, it was revealed that a growing number of men are also accessing LEN, signalling increased acceptance among males.
Among the facilities, Epworth Polyclinic recorded the highest number of men initiated on LEN with 62, followed by Bambanani-PSH and Kwekwe General Hospital, which each had 50 men. Shamva District Hospital recorded 48 male initiations, while Cowdray Park had 38 and Khami-CeSHHAR Clinic had 36.
Rusape District Hospital initiated 33 men, with Overspill Clinic recording 24, the same number as Mkoba Polyclinic. Phakama Clinic enrolled 22 men, while CeSHHAR Clinic recorded the lowest number of male initiations at six.
The LEN initiation statistics, however, showed that women continue to make up the majority of clients across all sites.
Epworth Polyclinic led on female initiations with 125 women, followed by Khami-CeSHHAR Clinic with 115, CeSHHAR Clinic with 102, and Kwekwe General Hospital with 98. Other facilities recorded female initiations ranging from 39 at Phakama Clinic to 90 at Bambanani-PSH.
Some of the key advantages of LEN are that it requires only two injections per year, unlike daily oral PrEP tablets. LEN is administered once every six months, making it easier for people to stay protected against HIV. It also improves adherence, as many people struggle to take pills every day. It reduces the risk of missed doses and improves consistent protection.
LEN also reduces stigma because people do not need to carry or take HIV prevention pills daily, making prevention more private and discreet, which can encourage more people to use it.
Dr Pugie Tawanda Chimberengwa, OPHID Technical Director and Deputy Chief of Party (pic by Daphne Machiri)
OPHID Technical Director and Deputy Chief of Party, Dr Pugie Tawanda Chimberengwa, speaking at the same training, said this shift was really significant because men have traditionally had poor health-seeking behaviour, often waiting until illnesses become severe before seeking medical attention.
“From our health perspective, men generally have a poor health-seeking behaviour.
“If you just look at it, if you get to a clinic without even doing research, you see more women and children than men.
“When people come with complications, the ones with the highest number of complications are men because they wait until it’s too late to visit a healthcare facility.”
He added: “and from the short time of implementation, which started in February this year, we have seen an increased number, especially of men accessing Lenacapavir, which is a good thing.
“And as much as we don’t have the actual reasons or perceptions of why we are seeing more men looking for Lenacapavir, I’m sure we will be able to wait for research to understand why men are more impacted.”
Dr Chimberengwa said cultural norms on how men are sometimes raised play a role in discouraging men from seeking healthcare early.
He added that the design of healthcare services could have also contributed to the problem as traditionally, many clinics operate during normal working hours, making it difficult for employed men to attend without taking time off work.
Dr Chimberengwa however said the Ministry of Health and its partners are beginning to make services more accessible to men.
LEN was introduced in Zimbabwe in February 2026 and is administered twice a year, adding to the other pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) choices.
