Write a Comment
7 Comments
Nothing in life is without risk, why can't gay people have the same sex as straight people without all the stigma? Everyone knows that there are other diseases that you can get while not using a condom, it is a chance you take, even the heteros take that chance. Why do gay guys beat themselves over the head all the time with the self-hate and stigma? I think that fact that there has been so few infections out of the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken PrEP is telling.
I have one word: CONDOM! It's sad that few will acknowledge that wearing a condom will aid in preventing exposure to a host of STIs, not just HIV.
I'm glad that POZ chose to publish this article. Over the years, and since the discovery of PrEP, I've often felt that contributors to POZ have placed too much emphasis on how fabulous it is to 'bareback' again, risk free! I'm glad progress has been made to mitigate the chances for infection while having unprotected sex; but is it still worth taking the chance? I can't imagine this person now feels good about making that decision. His past behavior sounds a little Russian Roulette[ish] to me!
I've been h.i.v positive for 33+ years. On Truvada for years. Know young men who are on prep. I point out adherence is crucial. Two things come to mind. I know men of color/ latino who sero converted in early prep trials, the variable was ethnicity from my understanding. The drug tested I can't recall. Besides adherence I point out, the bone density issues I face today from Truvada. It can easily be avoided w/ supplements, exercise, sun exposure, and nutrients. This is news to them.
He has sex with cisgender women, trans-sexuals, and gay men? My first thought was,"Does this man have a job or career?" He sounds like a busy bee. Learned long ago if I so much as poke around in a moment of sexual impulse I end up with some damn spot, lesion, or funky what-not but once I realized I could have a great time steering clear of the back door these dismaying occurrences stopped. Been asympto poz 30 years; no STDs since mid '80s. It's not about the proclivity; but the activity.
"...one of the man’s sexual partners was found to be HIV positive with a viral load of 15,000 copies/ml; he was relinked to care." The section quoted above is the most interesting part of the article. It sounds like this sexual partner was the source of the infection? It sounds like he was once in care (and probably on a Truvada-based HAART regimen), fell out of care, developed resistant virus and passed it on. Dang. PreP is still an important tool -- just NOT 100% perfect.
RichardUK
Everything else aside, the ongoing comprehensive care and testing that a person on PrEP gets is vital and crucial to catch the very rare instances of PrEP failure. PrEP failure when the pills are taken properly remains very rare. Extra precautions should and can be taken as already stated below.
November 5, 2018 • UK