How does PrEP work?
PrEP only works if you take it. Data from the iPrEx trial show that daily adherence reduces HIV risk between 96 percent and greater than 99 percent. Those who took four doses a week remained fully protected, and those who took two lowered their chance of getting HIV by 76 percent.
What about side effects?
Rates of side effects while on PrEP are low. Mild symptoms such as stomach cramps, headaches and loss of appetite may appear the first few weeks. Long-term use raises issues of kidney health and bone density. Health care providers should regularly test for kidney function.
What about drug resistance?
If you are HIV positive and start PrEP, the virus can become resistant to one or both meds in Truvada. This mutated virus is weaker and less likely to transmit. Still, it is important you are not in the window period of HIV infection when beginning PrEP.
Do I still need to use condoms?
PrEP is supposed to be used along with safer-sex practices, such as condom use and regular HIV testing.
How can I access PrEP?
At over $1,500 a month, PrEP is not cheap!
mi hu-doubt sana hii story ya hiv. but that is just my opinion (juu nime-realize kuna watu hu-defend hii story ya hiv vehemently. their livelihoods depend on it. personally, i wouldn’t take such toxic meds unless i really had to. even the supposed real aids, i wouldn’t take arvs, unless i am very desperately. if you get malaria, treat malaria. if you get tb, treat tb. if you get cancer, treat cancer. but why take arvs/preps, that are almost certainly guaranteed to cause you pancreatic cancer in the long run? look at it this way, ata ukitomba bila ceedee, chances zako za kuget (the alleged) hiv ni less than 0.01%. and even hukiget (the supposed) hiv, it is not clear kama itakuletea noma yoyote. juu the problem with the supposed hiv deaths ni vile atuezi jua kama huwa zina-causiwa na hiv ama other things. ukienda hosi, upatikane na tb, na hauna hiv, they just call it tb. but ukipatikana na tb na at the same time uko na hiv, they call it ‘aids’. now it becomes hard to know if the tb was caused by the hiv, or if you’d have gotten it even without the hiv. so everytime a person with hiv dies, it is assumed that he died because of hiv (hata kama alikufa kwa road accident). the hiv/aids world is a very murky one. still, ogopa mungu na epuka – as much as you can – indiscriminate s*x.
jifunze ku-differentiate conspiracy theories reasonable na upuzi. again, elewa kuwa the mainstream story isn’t always the truth. kuwa una-apply intelligence yako fully kwa kila issue. usiwahi dismiss theory yoyote off-hand. with the wisdom of hindsight, you may come to learn that it was the truth.