pre-exposure prophylaxis

From the Genesee County Health Department:

Did you know there is a pill to prevent HIV? Pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, is a safe and effective daily pill that can greatly reduce your risk of HIV infection.

PrEP is prescribed for HIV-negative people who are at a higher risk for getting HIV, most commonly through sex, injection drug use, or sharing needles. A lot of people still don’t knowabout the benefits of using PrEP to protect against HIV.

That’s why the New York State Department of Health has declared Oct. 20 – 26 as PrEP Aware Week.

“If you are exposed to HIV, the medicines in PrEP stop the virus from spreading throughout your body, preventing anHIV infection” said Brenden Bedard, director of Community Health Services of Genesee and Orleans counties. “People at high risk for getting HIV should talk to their healthcare provider about starting this preventative treatment.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when taken daily, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV. Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent when taken daily. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74 percent when taken daily. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.

Before you start PrEP, your doctor will test you to make sure that you do not have HIV and that your kidneys and liver are healthy. While you are on PrEP, your doctor will test you every three months for HIV and at least every six months for other STIs.

Even though PrEP is one important tool for protecting yourself from HIV, you can further reduce your chance of getting HIV by using condoms during sex and by using new sterile (clean) needles if you inject drugs.

The CDC offers these guidelines on people who should consider taking PrEP:

• Anyone who is in an ongoing relationship with someone who is HIV-positive.

• Gay or bisexual men who have sex without a condom or have been diagnosed with an STI in the past six months.

• Heterosexual men or women who do not regularly use condoms with partners with an unknown HIV status who are at substantial risk for HIV infections (people who inject drugs).

• People who have injected drugs in the past 6 months and have shared injection equipment or have been in treatment for injection drug use in the past six months.

Many insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover PrEP. Assistance may also be available if you are uninsured or if your co-pay or deductible is too high. For additional information about PrEP, including a directory of medical providers who prescribe PrEP, and information about resources to pay for PrEP, please visit www.health.ny.gov/PrEP.

For more information about PrEP, please click here.

For information about Health Department services contact the Genesee County Health Department at: 344-2580, ext. 5555, or visit their website.