Source: Eswatini is first African country to get twice-yearly HIV prevention shot | AP News
On Tuesday, Eswatini made history by becoming the first African country to receive the effective twice-yearly HIV prevention shop, Lenecapavir. The rollout is backed by international organizations such as the Global Fund as well as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), making the funds necessary to achieve protection possible. Together, they have agreed to pursue an initiative that aims to reach 2 million people by 2027 across at least 10 high risk countries. Historically, Africa has been plagued by AIDS and HIV outbreaks. Due to lack of funding and sometimes even outright institutional denial, the issue persists across the continent. However, Eswatini has the highest HIV infection rate in the world with over 200,000 people living with HIV out of the 1.2 million people that live there. Although international aid is allowing for this to be possible, there are still many underlying challenges. From limited supply raising concerns about equitable access, pricing disparities between countries, funding cuts from the west, to manufacturing disputes. Global health organizations WHO and UNAIDS warned that funding shortfalls could worsen infections.
The concept of power is shown by international organizations such as WHO UNAIDS and PEPRAR utilizing institutional power to regulate and distribute medication access. In addition, power imbalances are uncovered, showing privilege inequalities between elites/companies and local communities, especially in Africa. Eswatini’s sovereignty is compromised due to its dependence on foreign aid and international pharmaceutical companies to control its own health crisis. This gives leverage to international actors, and more control over the resources of Eswatini. Cuts to foreign aid greatly impact African health outcomes, showing the strong dependency on foreign resources and creating a spot of vulnerability towards economic decisions abroad. HIV/AIDS is a humanitarian health issue that impacts the everyday lives of civilians as well as social stability of the region. The Eswatini Government’s failure to provide adequate healthcare weakens their legitimacy as a protector of their population’s health and safety. Overall this is a promising step to helping to lessen the health crisis in Africa.