WHAT IS POST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS?

Submitted by Lynda Piper-Roche on 29 September 2009 - 9:40pm

Prophylaxis means disease prevention. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV involves taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs) as soon as possible after exposure to HIV, in order to prevent HIV infection. PEP has reduced the rate of HIV infection from workplace exposures by 79%. The treatment should ideally begin within 1-2 hours after exposure to HIV but certainly within 72 hours. Treatment with 2 or 3 ARVs should continue for 4 weeks, if tolerated (harsh side effects). PEP is only available with a prescription. It basically blocks an enzyme that is necessary for seroconversion* to take place. 

Initially, PEP was only available to people who experienced HIV exposure at work and would usually be considered a one-time accident. PEP has been standard procedure since 1996 for healthcare workers and was only made available to the public in 2002! Other HIV exposures may be due to unsafe behaviours that can occur many times. Because of this they were not made widely available for fear that the availability of PEP might encourage this unsafe behaviour, if people were to think that PEP is an easy way to avoid HIV infection.

I for one do not believe that the Morning After Pill is misused and I believe PEP for HIV would not be either.

Either way, still not enough people are aware that PEP exists...the fact that it is most effective within 1-2 hours of exposure means people need to know about it, rape victims, victims of violence who cross blood with their attacker, people who are threatened with or come into contact with used syringes, none of these are any different from the HIV exposure at work that is considered a 'one-time accident'.

 

 

*Seroconversion is a part of the immune response. When people develop antibodies to HIV, they "seroconvert" from antibody-negative to antibody-positive. In other words seroconversion has occurred. It may take from as little as 1 week to several months or more after infection with HIV for antibodies to the virus to develop. After antibodies to HIV appear in the blood, a person will test positive on antibody tests.