CDC plans to spread knowledge about PrEP among African-American women
Pre-exposure prophylaxis medication, which was developed by Gilead and is sold under the brand name Truvada, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 as a one-a-day pill regiment to prevent the spread of HIV infection. It is estimated by several major studies that if taken consistently it might reduce the possibility of acquiring HIV infection by up to 92 percent.
In the beginning it was a priority to get PrEP to men who have sex with men (MSM). According to the CDC report, MSM accounted for 83 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2014.
But PrEP is not only for men. According to the CDC, African-American women make up to 62 percent of women diagnosed with HIV in the U.S, but usually women just simply don’t know about PreP existence."That is alarming, and we at the CDC are working to address the issue by spreading knowledge. But in order for us to do that, we also need to encourage African-American women to get tested," says Dr.Eugene McCray, director of the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. In order to do that, CDC is planning to launch campaigns targeted at black women in Washington DC, the city where about 2 percent of residents are already infected with HIV, to educate them on to risk and how PrEP can help to reduce a risk of getting infected.
