It’s that time of year when the weather is colder and folks are looking to be snuggled up with a significant other. That said, the Southeast is a part of our nation where HIV & STI rates are disproportionately high. For this reason and many others, it’s important that we arm ourselves with information that can increase our intimate experiences while keeping us safe and protected from viruses and illness no one should have to suffer.
With medical advances being made in leaps and bounds, community members now have many choices in HIV intervention and prevention.
Let’s start with HIV PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis); a treatment regimen used to prevent HIV infection after a potential exposure to the virus. PEP is designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection by inhibiting the replication of the virus in the body. Medications vary but all are designed to ward off HIV infection in the event of exposure due to sexual contact or tainted needle contact. Initially, PEP was offered and more accessible to those who had experienced (and reported in less than 72 hours) a sexual assault with someone of unknown HIV status or health care providers exposed to accidental needle sticks. Today, PEP is more accessible and can be attained via an area health client or conversation with a health care practitioner. Again, there is a 72-hour window for effectiveness, so if you’ve experienced either risk factor, move quickly.
Doxy PEP (Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) is sometimes referred to as The Morning After Pill for STIs.
For greater clarity and professional insight, QNotes reached out to local health care provider PA and NC Department of Health and Human Services PrEP Consultant J. Wesley Thompson, also known as one of the co-founders of Amity Medical Group.
“There has been a tremendous uptake,” Thompson offered. “Patients are coming in for Doxy PEP in advance of having sexual encounters. Within three days [of an encounter] you take two pills one time. However, testing is still recommended within 30 days of exposure.”
Doxy PEP is effective at preventing Chlamydia and Syphilis, and is moderately effective against Gonorrhea in specific populations, primarily gay and bisexual men and transgender women who have had an STI in the last 12 months. Other populations have either not yet been studied enough to prove the drug’s effectiveness or (as is the case with cisgender heterosexual women) the population hasn’t shown medications to be beneficial. Most recent data shows Doxy PEP to be 33 – 90 percent effective. Effectiveness rates from various studies generally show: a 70 – 90 percent effectiveness for Chlamydia, up to 80 percent effective for Syphilis and only 33 to 60 percent effective for Gonorrhea.
Although covered in depth by Qnotes reporter Wendy Lyons, we thought it important to share a few extra details on prevention, known as PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) in this article.
“I presented PrEP to the Pitt County Health Department (Greenville, N.C.),” Thompson recalled. “They were very motivated. Within one month of my presentation, they had 80 new PrEP clients; which goes to prove that when people have the knowledge they need, they are more apt to take better care of themselves.”
It’s important to note, PrEP is for people who don’t have HIV, but are at risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. You should be tested for HIV in advance of a PrEP injection or prescription with retesting done about every three months to ensure a nonreactive/negative HIV status.
In the meantime, if you’re not already using PrEP, use condoms and/or other barriers to stave off HIV and STIs. “Many people feel as though condoms (though only half a millimeter thick) impedes the intimacy we were intended to share between consenting adults. Many people don’t want that barrier. That’s why HIV PrEP, PEP and Doxy PEP are so important, so you can have sex naturally and enjoyably with minimal risk.”