The free HIV jab you need only twice a year: where to get it

The Eastern Cape health department is urging residents, especially young people and sex workers, to get lenacapavir, the HIV prevention injection you only need twice a year. About 3,500 people in the province have already started on it, Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa said at the launch of the province's lenacapavir and cervical cancer strategy in KwaNoxolo, Nelson Mandela Bay (SAnews).

"If you are HIV-negative, then we will give you the injection," Capa said, adding that the province has enough doses for now (SAnews).

Is the HIV injection free?

Yes, at government clinics. South Africa started giving the jab, known as LEN, on 5 June 2026, and it is stocked for free at public clinics (Bhekisisa). Capa said the medicine is expensive and donor support made the rollout possible, so continued supply of doses will set its pace (SAnews).

You can't buy it privately yet. Maker Gilead has not registered a private sector price in South Africa (Bhekisisa).

Where can I get it?

LEN is available at 360 public clinics (Bhekisisa). When the rollout began, the health department's clinic list split them like this (Bhekisisa):

• Gauteng: 133 clinics
• KwaZulu-Natal: 94
• Eastern Cape: 49
• Mpumalanga: 31
• North West: 31
• Western Cape: 22

The Northern Cape, Limpopo and the Free State are only due to get it next year, when cheaper generic versions become available (Bhekisisa). The list of clinics by province is published as a PDF.

By 15 October, just under 79,000 people had received their first dose (Bhekisisa).

Who can get the injection?

You must test HIV negative and weigh at least 35kg. It is a schedule 4 medicine, so it has to be prescribed and injected by a doctor or nurse (Bhekisisa).

It prevents HIV. It is not a vaccine, and it is not treatment for people already living with HIV, Nelson Mandela Bay health MMC Thsonono Buyeye said (SAnews). If you test positive at the clinic, staff will talk to you about starting HIV treatment instead (Bhekisisa).

Tell the nurse about any medicine you take. Some TB and epilepsy medicines can interfere with LEN (Bhekisisa).

What happens at the clinic?

The national health department says no clinic may turn away a walk-in, and most clinics outside the Western Cape work on walk-ins only. You can use your ID, passport or asylum seeker number. If you have none, the clinic can create a special patient number for you (Bhekisisa).

The first dose works like this (Bhekisisa):

• Day 1: an HIV test, two tablets and two injections under the skin of your tummy or buttocks
• Day 2: two more tablets, taken at about the same time as the first pair
• About four weeks later: a check-up and another HIV test
• Six months later: another HIV test and two more injections, with no starter tablets. You can go between 24 and 28 weeks after your first jabs.

Protection kicks in from about Day 3, so use a condom or another prevention method until then. Small bumps at the injection spots are normal and usually go away on their own. Go back to the clinic if you get a rash, blistering, unusual pain or fluid leaking from the spot (Bhekisisa).

Do I still need condoms?

LEN does not prevent pregnancy or other sexually transmitted infections, so condoms still matter for those (Bhekisisa). Oral PrEP pills remain available as another option, and the nurse should explain all your choices before you decide (SAnews).