The proposed recommendations, recently released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, concluded that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that helps prevent contracting HIV,
can be effective for anyone who has sex with a partner who has the virus, anyone who has condomless sex with a partner whose status is unknown, and those who share injection drug or tattoo needles.
Separately, the task force also proposed that doctors screen patients who are 15 to 65 years old for HIV.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in disease prevention, released their draft of recommendation statements for public comment until Dec. 26, 2018.
Some public health officials and doctors say if approved, the recommendations will help expand the accessibility of PrEP to more people.
But health experts caution that disparities will continue to exist unless there are more frank discussions between patients and primary care doctors about sexual behavior and substance use.
“Very significant disparities exist in PrEP uptake, similar to the disparities we see across HIV,” said Gretchen Weiss, director for the HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis division of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
“The groups at highest risk for HIV are among the least likely to be on/prescribed PrEP and to maintain their PrEP regimen,” she added. “Closing this gap is absolutely the priority for PrEP implementation at a national level.”
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