Di Federal Government of Nigeria don issue strong warning about di new HIV prevention injection wey dem dey call Lenacapavir. According to di National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), dis new drug wey dem just approve no dey safe for pregnant women or women wey dey plan to get belle.
Lenacapavir na di first long-acting HIV prevention injection wey fit protect person for up to six months with just one shot. Di drug don show say e fit reduce HIV infection risk by about 90% for clinical trials, but NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, talk say pregnant women must avoid am for now because research no dey complete about how e go affect unborn pikin.
“We get serious concern about dis drug for pregnant women,” Prof. Adeyeye yarn for press conference for Abuja. “All di studies wey dem do so far no include pregnant women, so we no sabi di potential risks. Any woman wey dey pregnant or dey try to conceive must consult doctor before using any HIV prevention method.”
Di warning come as Zimbabwe just receive dia first batch of Lenacapavir dis week, with di Ministry of Health and Child Care announcing say di drug go help in di fight against HIV/AIDS. But even for Zimbabwe, health officials don warn say pregnant women no suppose use di injection until more research dey done.
For Nigeria, where about 1.9 million people dey live with HIV according to di National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), di arrival of Lenacapavir suppose be good news. But health experts like Dr. Chika Okafor from Lagos University Teaching Hospital talk say di warning na important one. “We no fit gamble with maternal health,” Dr. Okafor explain. “Di drug dey work by blocking HIV from entering cells, but we no sabi how e go affect fetal development.”
NAFDAC don list alternative prevention methods wey pregnant women fit use, including daily oral PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and proper condom use. Di agency also warn say Lenacapavir no be cure for HIV but prevention method, and people wey already get HIV infection must continue with dia antiretroviral therapy.
Di World Health Organization (WHO) don welcome di development of Lenacapavir but still dey monitor di safety data. WHO representative for Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, talk say di organization dey work with countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe to develop proper guidelines for di drug use.
As di news spread across Nigeria, many women wey dey reproductive age don begin ask questions about di new injection. For health centers like Primrose Hospital for Lagos, nurses dey educate patients about di risks and benefits. “We dey tell women say dis injection na breakthrough, but with caution,” Nurse Amina Bello talk.
Di Federal Ministry of Health promise say dem go continue to monitor di situation and update guidelines as more research come out. For now, di message remain clear: Lenacapavir na powerful tool against HIV, but pregnant women must stay away until scientists confirm say e dey safe for mother and pikin.
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