The Chief Program Analyst and the team from the National AIDS Control Program under the Department of Public Health (DoPH), Ministry of Health (MoH), conducted a sensitization session today for the staff of the Eastern Regional Referral Hospital (ERRH) on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.
The key objective of the sensitization program is to reduce new HIV infections whereby the introduction of PrEP would complement the existing preventive measures already in place. The types of PrEP include oral formulation, vaginal ring and long acting injectable drugs. Bhutan
will be introducing oral pre-exposure prophylaxis. It is a antiretroviral pill taken by HIV negative people to prevent HIV infection.
The program aims to introduce the PrEP to key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender individuals, and sex workers as they are at higher risks. PrEP services will be made available at all Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers as well as Health Information and Service Centers (HISCs) across the country.
Since the inception of the first STI/HIV program in 1998 and the detection of the first HIV case in 1993, Bhutan has recorded over 1,020 HIV cases to date.
