WHO recommends PrEP for gay men at risk for HIV

From the Bay Area Reporter online…

Gay and bisexual men who are at risk for HIV infection should consider using antiretroviral drugs for pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, according to new guidelines from the World Health Organization.

The WHO recommendation is similar to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines released in May, which state that health care providers should consider advising people at “substantial risk” to use PrEP to prevent HIV infection.

“With the WHO’s recommendation, two of the world’s most important public health institutions have recommended that gay and bisexual men who could become infected by HIV carefully consider PrEP,” said Project Inform Executive Director Dana Van Gorder. “In Project Inform’s view, this would especially include men and transgender women who ever bottom without condoms.”

Noting that HIV infection rates among gay and bi men remain high almost everywhere and new prevention options are urgently needed, WHO strongly recommended that men who have sex with men consider taking antiretroviral drugs as an additional method of protection along with condoms.

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