Find Out How This Ground-breaking Daily Pill PrEP Works

Piece by: Mercy Gakii
Lifestyle

Here's something interesting you need to know about today. You may have heard about the daily pill that helps prevent HIV. It's called PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and yes, it really does help in preventing HIV infections. However, that's not everything.

Ever since the discovery of the HIV virus, humanity has put up a formidable fight through countless innovations and unrelenting research. It's been a long and tough fight that isn't over yet. Strides have been made and PrEP is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the recent past.

The thing is though, that although PrEP helps in preventing HIV infections, it is not a green card to practising irresponsible sexual behavior. It's also important for those at daily risk of exposure to HIV to know that PrEP is not a contraceptive.

It does not prevent pregnancy (yes, we knew that question was coming!)

You may be wondering who are these people at a daily risk of contracting HIV. We're talking men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers and those who have multiple sexual partners.

...and no, it does not protect you from other Sexually Transmitted Illnesses (STIs) such as Syphillis, Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, Herpes Zoster, HPV and others. This means that to keep yourself well protected, you need to continually use protection such as Condoms.

If you do not want to get pregnant (or get someone pregnant for that matter), then use appropriate family planning options.

This article may not be too comprehensive about this amazing daily pill, PrEP but it is a good start. Besides, ignorance cannot be a form of defense. You do not want to whine one day and say I wish I knew about PrEP.

I will therefore advise you to plan and pay a visit to your nearby health facility. The government has invested in information, and once you go to seek for it, you shall indeed get it. This is why I am sure of what I tell you.

Just last year, July 2016, The Ministry of Health – Kenya, released HIV treatment and prevention guidelines recommending provision of immediate initiation of ART and PrEP use among the uninfected partners at high risk of HIV acquisition. These interventions will contribute to achievement of the objectives laid out in the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework and the HIV Prevention Revolution Road Map to reduce new HIV infections.

You need to be part of the solutions that can help this nation move forward. If you're at a high risk of being infected by HIV, be sure to use PrEP.

For more on the PrEP pill,