Virtually eliminating the spread of HIV? Ten years ago ,the idea that we could end new cases of HIV spread through sexual contact would have been seen as a pipe dream. But, thanks to pharmaceutical advances, a new drug in the United States has the potential to make those dreams a reality.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, more commonly known as PrEP, is a pill that, if taken daily, can reduce the risk of contracting HIV from sexual contact by up to 99%. In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 68% of new HIV cases can be attributed to men who have sex with other men. PrEP is meant only for people who are currently HIV negative and is targeted towards men who have sex with men as well as those that that have sex with men engaged in same sex activity.
PrEP was among methods listed when the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a plan in 2019 with the goal of slowing the spread of HIV. While the drug is relatively new to the market, awareness of it among at-risk populations has skyrocketed since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
Even with the advances that are possible with drugs like PrEP, a focus on communities hardest hit by HIV is still required to end its spread in the United States. PrEP is part of the plan to accomplish this, but public health professionals must remain conscious of health disparities, such as lack of insurance and health literacy, that create roadblocks to ending the spread of HIV in America.
Resources:
Finlayson, T., Susan Cha, Ming Xia, Trujillo, L., Denson, D., Prejean, J., Kanny, D., Wejnert, C., Cha, S., Xia, M., & National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study Group. (2019). Changes in HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis awareness and use among men who have sex with men - 20 urban areas, 2014 and 2017. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 68(27), 597–603. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6827a1
Pyra, M., Rusie, L. K., Baker, K. K., Baker, A., Ridgway, J., & Schneider, J. (2020). Correlations of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis indications and uptake, Chicago, Illinois, 2015–2018. American Journal of Public Health, 110(3), 370–377. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305469
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hiv-aids/prep
https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv-prevention/using-hiv-medication-to-reduce-risk/pre-exposure-prophylaxis
https://www.who.int/hiv/topics/prep/en/
Content for this segment was created by Eli Bohnert as part of a project for SC301: Foundations of Health Communication, taught by Dr. Clubbs. Eli is headed to The Ohio State University this fall to pursue a Masters of Public Health degree with a specialization in Health Behavior and Health Promotion.
Recorded at home with Eli Hildebrand Clubbs engineering; edited at KRCU Studios by Dan Woods
