rare strain

Man tests positive for HIV while taking PrEP

Health officials in Washington State say that a local man has contracted HIV while taking PrEP. It is believed he was infected with a rare strain of HIV that is resistant to both of the medications in Truvada.

According to Outbreak News Today:

Director of Public Health’s STD/HIV program, Matthew Golden, MD said the patient likely became HIV infected while taking PrEP. The man reported sex only with other men, and both he and his medical provider indicated that he had consistently taken daily PrEP in the months since his last HIV negative test and prior to testing HIV positive.

Related: Insurance provider denies Truvada coverage to patient for being a “high risk” homosexual

If taken correctly, PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV by 90%, although some studies have reported numbers as low as 86% and as high as 99%. Of the hundreds of thousands of people taking PrEP the world over, there have been only five reported cases of a positive test result for HIV.

In 2015, the CDC recommended that 1.2 million gay and bisexual men, or about one in four, consider taking Truvada. As of early 2017, about 136,000 Americans were taking the drug.

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