PrEP: What Does it mean for safe sex?

Femi and Sheila have a lot going on…

If it’s not the distance between them, it’s a woman thirsty for Femi, hell bent on making their lives difficult. And now, they are dealing with his HIV status, with Sheila trying to figure out if it is worth it to face a lifetime of daily medication just to be with Femi. What medication are we taking about?

Modern Medicine

If you had told me 20 years ago that there would be a pill that could prevent HIV infection one day, I would have probably imagined that it would take about a hundred years, or even further into the future. Contracting HIV/AIDS was once considered a death sentence. But now, with the availability of antiretrovirals, or ARVs, it is possible for those who are HIV positive to live a normal life, or as it is called, Living Positively.

To take it a step further, we now have PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; a combination of two HIV medications that if taken before exposure to the virus, will work together to block the pathways that HIV uses to set up an infection. When PrEP is taken daily, it can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body. This, however, should not be confused with PEP, or Post Exposure Prophylaxis, which is taken after someone has been exposed to the virus.

PrEP is recommended for HIV negative individuals who are at high risk of contracting the disease. These include HIV negative people who are part of a discordant couple (‘magnetic couples) where one is HIV positive, and the other negative.

Now, if taken consistently, the drug can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by up to 92%, and should DEFINITELY be used alongside condoms, to ensure maximum protection against infection.

Don’t Forget!

Taking PrEP is NOT a replacement for using a condom.

When used correctly, PrEP is an important way for people to protect their sexual health. But it should always be used alongside a condom, and not instead. There have been concerns that it could be misused, with people putting themselves further in danger by not using protection, rather than taking steps to ensure safer sex.

For instance, in Kenya, over the counter availability of morning after pills, or Plan B pills, have made it so that more people are having unprotected sex, with the assurance of being able to prevent pregnancy by taking the pill afterwards. Now, while this pill allows for women to have more agency over their bodies, it is important to remember that the pill cannot protect you from contracting an STI, and that PrEP is also not 100% guaranteed to prevent HIV.

The availability of PrEP is welcome and timely in the fight against HIV infections. However, we need to remember that it is not a substitute for safe sex practices, which means using a condom whenever you are having sex! What do you think?

Find out more about PrEP here, and visit our Knowledge Page to delve deeper into the issues discussed during #MTVShugaDS…