PrEP prevents HIV — so why aren’t more people taking it?

Each year, 1.7 million people globally are newly infected with HIV — more than 38,000 in the United States alone. This year, President Trump announced a 10-year initiative aimed at reducing new HIV infections in the US, and ultimately ending an epidemic that has plagued this country, and the world, since HIV first emerged in the early 1980s. A key part of that plan is pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, a daily medication to help prevent HIV that is recommended for people at high risk. Recently, the FDA approved a new formulation of PrEP for many — but not all — of those at risk. What is PrEP and who should consider it? PrEP is a daily pill taken to lower a person’s risk for getting HIV. It works best as part of a program of preventive services that includes regular HIV testing. Global research during the past decade shows that a combination of two antiretroviral medicines is more than 90% effective at preventing HIV. These medicines, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, are known by the brand name Truvada. Along with other medicines, they are also used to treat HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many expert guidelines recommend PrEP for those at high risk for HIV, including men who have sex with men heterosexual men and women who have high-risk exposure (such as having a partner with known HIV infection, exchanging sex for drugs or money, or having sex with a person at high risk for HIV) people who inject drugs transgender women....
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health HIV Infectious diseases Men's Health Sexual Conditions Women's Health Source Type: blogs