Did you know that October 20 – October 26, 2019 is PrEP Aware Week? PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is the use of daily medicine that can reduce your chance of getting HIV. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout the body. The Onondaga County Health Department is raising awareness about PrEP, which is considered safe and effective for people of all genders and is more than 90% effective in preventing HIV infection if taken every day. It can also protect from HIV for those wishing to get pregnant with an HIV+ partner.
Dr. Indu Gupta, Onondaga County Commissioner of Health, explained who may want to consider PrEP. “PrEP is for those who within the last six months:
- Had sex without condoms with a person whose HIV status you didn’t know
- Had a sexually transmitted infection (an “STI”), such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or herpes
- Had sex while drunk or high
- Had sex for something you needed (such as housing, money, drugs)
- Shared needles or injection supplies”
Dr. Gupta further emphasized that people should also consider PrEP if, in the last six months, someone had a sexual partner who:
- Refused to use condoms
- Made you have sex when you did not want to
- Had sex with anyone besides you
- Has ever been in jail or prison
- Injected drugs with a needle
- Has HIV
- Is a man who has sex with other men
PrEP is covered by Medicaid and many health insurance plans. For more information about PrEP visit www.ongov.net/health/prep.html or call the Onondaga County Health Department, The STD Center at 315.435.3236.
For more information visit:
www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/general/prep/prep_index.htm
www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html