I have previously blogged about the the use of antiretrovirals before sex, so called pre-exposure prophylaxis. Here is a recent article that explores the concept of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for adolescents and young adults who have sex with men.I still cannot get excited about pre-exposure prophylaxis as a HIV transmission strategy. The hurdles are many and include cost (this may not be covered by insurance), side effects, the emergence of viral resistance and the fact that retrovirals have no impact on the prevention of other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, gential warts and herpes.
In my opinion, pre-exposure prophylaxis is an inferior HIV prevention strategy when compared to comprehensive sexual education and the aggressive promotion of condoms.
Call me old fashioned.
