From this week, therapy for the prevention of infection before exposure to the HIV virus has started to be given in Kosovo, Murat Mehmeti, head of the department for sexually transmitted diseases at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Pristina, confirmed for Radio Free Europe.

The HIV virus damages the immune system of the infected person, leaving them exposed to serious infections.

The virus can be transmitted through the exchange of various body fluids from infected individuals.

“PrEP” therapy (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medication, which is used in people who are HIV negative, to reduce the risk of acquiring the virus.

According to Mehmeti, therapy in the form of tablets will initially be given to LGBTI+ people, but also to others who have an HIV-positive partner, or need it.

The provision of this therapy has been a joint project of Kosovo institutions, the Global Fund and the Center for the Development of Social Groups from Pristina, said Mehmeti.

The international financial organization, the Global Fund, with a focus on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, has provided drugs for two years. After this period, the Ministry of Health of Kosovo will take over their insurance, he explained.

Therapy in the form of tablets with a package of 30 pieces, will be available at the pharmacy of the Infectious Diseases Clinic, after consultation with the doctor.

Agron Nuhiu, executive director of the Center for the Development of Social Groups, told Radio Free Europe that they have been working on this project since 2016.

According to Nuhiu, Kosovo is the second country in the region that offers this therapy for free, after North Macedonia, writes Radio Free Europe.

In 2022, 17 new cases of HIV/AIDS were registered in Kosovo – a figure that presented a doubling of cases compared to 2021, when eight such cases were registered.