Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis - How It Can Help You?

Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a treatment method for people who do not have the HIV infection but who might be facing a considerable risk of contacting the disease. It is done by taking one pill daily. The pill comprises of two medicines i.e. tenofovir and emtricitabine. These two are combined with other drugs in order to treat HIV. When a person is exposed to HIV, be it through sexual intercourse or shared needles, these drugs help in stopping the infection from reaching an advanced stage.

Dosage and use
When the drug is consumed on a regular basis, pre-exposure prophylaxis has been observed to decrease the risk of HIV infection in individuals with increased risk by up to 92%. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is not as effective when not taken on a consistent basis.

Advantages

1. It can actually help patients: While many still consider it to be a farce, pre-exposure prophylaxis has been proven to reduce the risk of HIV infection transmitted from unprotected sex. Recording a success rate of over 90% in that field, Pre-exposure prophylaxis has been proven to show a success rate of 70% in people who inject drugs in their body. These results could be a reflection of individuals on being consistent in this treatment method. For people who are forced to limited possibilities to protect themselves from the HIV virus, pre-exposure prophylaxis permits them to control their risk of contacting HIV.
2. Affordable: The PrEP drug costs are lesser than HIV treatment when analyzed at both per-dose and duration of use levels. Furthermore, PrEP is prescribed on a consistent basis, only when an individual is facing a heightened risk of HIV. But if an individual contracts HIV, they will be required to be a part of the Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) process for the rest of their lives in order to stay in good physical shape. A PrEP program is projected to cost less than 5% of an average HIV program’s entire budget.

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