August 6, 2014 – Not More Risk

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Anchor lead:  People who are on medicines to prevent HIV infection don’t engage in more risky behavior, Elizabeth Tracey reports

When people are given medicines to prevent HIV infection, known as PrEP, they don’t take more risks than they did beforehand, a recent long terms study presented at the international HIV conference in Melbourne, Australia, found.  Joseph Cofrancesco, Jr, an HIV expert at Johns Hopkins, says the approach is multipronged.

Cofrancesco: It’s a program.  It’s give a pill, it’s work with the patient to help them to understand ways to keep themselves safe, to encourage condom use, to use ways to transition away from using drugs or to a safer way of using drugs, come in regularly for STD testing and making sure there’s no problems.  What was shown in the most recent conference is that a longer term follow up the patients on PrEP did not report any additional risky behavior or more partners than they might otherwise have.   :28

Cofrancesco says all persons at risk for HIV infection should be offered PrEP.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.