Prevention of Acquisition of HIV: Preexposure Prophylaxis

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that health care providers offer pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people who are at risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This includes sexually active adults and adolescents who have engaged in anal or vaginal sex in the past 6 months and have any of the following:

• A sexual partner who has HIV (especially if the partner has an unknown or detectable viral load)
• A bacterial sexually transmitted infection (syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia for men who have sex with men and transgender women; gonorrhea and syphilis for heterosexual women and men) in the past 6 months
• A history of inconsistent or no condom use with sex partner(s) whose HIV status is not known

It's important that people who take PrEP get counseling about medication adherence, safer sex practices including condom use, regular testing for HIV, and other necessary testing.