HIV is often thought of as a disease that predominantly affects men who have sex with other men. But in 2020, nearly 22% of new infections occurred through heterosexual contact, raising the question: Why aren’t more straight people on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)?
PrEP, a daily medication that can greatly reduce one’s chances of contracting HIV, is barely used by straight people. In December 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that only 32.3% of heterosexual adults had even heard of PrEP, and fewer than 1% of straight people use it.
Heterosexual adults are interested in taking PrEP when they learn about it, the CDC found. The problem may be that doctors aren’t recommending PrEP to straight people because they see it as a “gay medication.” This is partly because more funding and effort has been put into reaching men who have sex with men with PrEP education and information, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation reported.
Some doctors aren’t even aware that PrEP medications are used to prevent HIV, seeing as the same medications are typically given to HIV patients to help suppress the virus. Other doctors fail to tell straight patients that PrEP medications can also be used as PEP, a post-exposure prophylactic that can help someone avoid contracting HIV after a possible exposure.
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A 2019 study found that 45% of medical professionals said they had low knowledge about PrEP medications, and 71% didn’t have a screening method to identify patients who could most benefit from the pills. This lack of knowledge made medical providers 91% less likely to prescribe the medication. A December 2022 study reinforced some of these findings.
Notably, Descovy, one of the newer PrEP medications, isn’t recommended for people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) — partly because such people weren’t included in the drug’s trials. However, AFAB people can safely take Truvada and other PrEP medications.
“We have to redouble our efforts to reach heterosexual, cisgender women and men with our PrEP messaging,” Dr. Monica Gandhi, an expert in HIV and infectious diseases told HIV Plus magazine.
For more info on how to get on PrEP, go here.
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Chrisk
I’d say it’s mostly coming from drug users and down low bisexual men. Then they transfer it their female partners who have no clue that they out effing guys too.
Hard to get the message across to that crowd.
monty clift
So you want to pretend heterosexuals are not notorious for spreading STIs/diseases, which is well documented throughout history.
JromeGervais09
You must be too young to know that HIV came from straight communities in Africa. They hunted and consumed a species of monkeys that carry the virus. The WHO determined that HIV jumped from that species of monkeys to humans in the 1970s. Africa still has the highest number of HIV infections and deaths in the world.
Donston
Being straight-presenting and in a hetero relationship doesn’t mean you’re not messing around with dudes/trans women. Let’s not pretend there still aren’t plenty of closeted guys, DL guys, guys who “experiment” or have queer dimensions but still consider themselves “straight”, and guys who have tons of sex with random women but are low-key homo-leaning when it comes to romantic attachment, emotional investment, relationship contentment. Then there are irresponsible drug users who are still sharing needles nowadays. So, that percentage cannot be trusted. But yes, I suppose if you’re having tons of sex with randoms you probably need to be on Prep no matter your sexual partners.
bachy
It’s a complex decision, a struggle. The difficult part is facing the music and acknowledging that you, and any of your sexual partners, are vulnerable/mortal. Most people prefer to maintain a religious faith in their own invincibility.
monty clift
Straight people are disgusting? You don’t say!
1898
“The problem may be that doctors aren’t recommending PrEP to straight people because they see it as a ‘gay medication.'”
hell, i’m gay and i’ve never had a doctor or healthcare provider recommend or suggest prep to me
prep first became available 11 years ago. over the past 11 years i’ve had four primary healthcare providers (two MDs, a DO, and a NP), and none of them said a word about prep until i brought it up… and when i brought it up, two of them (the MDs) didn’t know what it was and one of them (the DO) kept confusing it with pep. the one who did know about it, suggested i get it from the local HIV clinic because “they’re better equipped to handle that sort of thing” (her words)
so it doesn’t surprise me at all that prep is basically nonexistent in the straight community