PrEP: Everything you need to know about the HIV prevention medicationPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV prevention medication has been hailed as our best line of defence against the virus.
by Obakeng Pholo
27-11-2022 19:44
in LGBTQIA+
Dr. Ray Martins, chief medical officer at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC, holds a handful of Truvada, the first pill recommended for HIV prevention. Photo: KERRY SHERIDAN / AFP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention medication that reduces your chance of contracting HIV through sex or injection drug use, it is taken by anyone who has tested negative for HIV but is at high risk of exposure to HIV.
--
Pharmacist Joy Steenkamp of Medipost Pharmacy speaking to The Citizen said that:
The medication, usually taken in the form of a daily pill, is highly effective when taken consistently as prescribed. An injectable form of PrEP is also available in some countries and will hopefully soon be introduced in South Africa,
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two medications for use as PrEP: Truvada and Descovy.
We also have an injectable PrEP called Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension) which South Africa will be piloting in 2023.
--
TYPES OF PrEP The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines the types of PreP and its uses:
Truvada This is for people at risk through sex or injection drug use.
Descovy This is for people at risk through sex. Descovy is not for people assigned female at birth who are at risk for HIV through receptive vaginal sex.
Apretude This is the only shot approved for use as PrEP, apretude is for people at risk through sex who weigh at least 77 pounds (35 kg).
ALSO READ: ARV injection: Once a month long-acting HIV treatment
The CDC says that studies done on PrEP's effectiveness show that it reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% and from injection drug use by at least 74%.
--
WHO SHOULD TAKE PrEP? The guidelines as per the CDC's recommendation, that PreP should be taken by:
HIV-negative people and people who have had anal or vaginal sex in the past 6 months.
Anyone with a sexual partner with HIV (especially if the partner has an unknown or detectable viral load)
Anyone who does not consistently use a condom
Anyone who has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 6 months.
SIDE EFFECTS OF PrEP As much as the medication is safe, it does come with some side effects which include but are not limited to:
Diarrhea
Nausea
Headache
Fatigue,
Stomach pain
You need to consult your healthcare provider if any of these side effects persists or are severe.
ALSO READ: HIV medicine prices have decreased drastically
ON-DEMANDS PrEP The CDC also explains the uses of on-demand PrEP which is also referred to as intermittent or non-daily for people who are not at an ongoing risk of getting HIV.
The type of on-demand PrEP that has been studied is the 2-1-1 schedule. This means taking 2 pills 2-24 hours before sex, 1 pill 24 hours after the first dose, and 1 pill 24 hours after the second dose.
There is scientific evidence that the 2-1-1 schedule provides effective protection for gay and bisexual men when having anal sex without a condom.
ALSO READ: How long can you live with HIV without treatment?
If you have any stories to share send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211
WIN R6 000 for Christmas - take The South African Reader Survey!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
03/06/2026
Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, with Wasabi continuing as the club's official cloud storage...
03/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP as part of the relocation of its n...
03/06/2026
The Riedel Group has announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 201...
03/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the deployment of its intercom solutions at Itaka Arena ...
03/06/2026
Scott Coker has announced six senior executive appointments for his new global MMA promotion, which launched earlier this year with $60 million in financing. Ad...
03/06/2026
Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup 2026, has announced its digital and social media programming for the tournament, running Ju...
03/06/2026
The Bundesliga has announced the launch of Captain, an AI assistant built into t...
03/06/2026
Anthony James Partners (AJP) is serving as technology consultant for a moderniza...
03/06/2026
Audio-Technica has announced the recipients of its annual sales rep firm awards for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The awards were presented by Jim Schanz, Executive ...
03/06/2026
iodyne will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 alongside RED Digital Cinema and Adob...
03/06/2026
The broadcaster will deploy 39 cameras for game coverage, six cameras for studio...
03/06/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is providing a great opportunity for not only Fox Sports...
03/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p compatible PTZ Auto Framing camera that uses Sony's proprietary AI to automatically recognize and tra...
03/06/2026
Game Creek Video's Flagship A, B, C, and D unit will wind up its first year ...
03/06/2026
According to Caretta Research, the sports-rights market may be hitting the brake...
03/06/2026
Retrieval still courtesy of Tribeca.
By Jessica Herndon
This year, the Tribeca...
03/06/2026
Step sequencer-style panning tool revealed
Alongside their flagship self-titled sound-design platform, Sound Particles offer an array of creative effects an...
03/06/2026
Now features full H90 algorithm library
Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...
03/06/2026
Significant discount available until 1 October 2026
Aim Audio have just announced a promotion that sees a significant discount applied to their Essence micr...
03/06/2026
Clarification: SBS's position on definitions of antisemitism
3 June, 2026
Media releases
Statement by Mandi Wicks, SBS Director of News and Current Aff...
03/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to supply CERTIUM advanced communications system to Memmingen Ai...
03/06/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
PrEP: Everything you need to know about the HIV prevention medicationPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV prevention medication has been hailed as our best line of defence against the virus. 
