The CDC just put their recommendation behind a daily anti-HIV pill called Truvada, that
reduces the chances of HIV infection among people at high risk by up to 92%. 92% is a
huge margin...Is this basically the HIV vaccine we've all been waiting for?
No. Vaccines create antibodies that make you immune to a disease. Truvada prevents HIV,
but does not make you immune to it. It's basically a condom in pill form. If that condom were
to only prevent HIV and if you had to take it everyday to ensure that it worked probably.
The CDC is not currently recommending Truvada for the general public, and despite what the
headlines say, they're not even recommending that all gay men take it.
They are only recommending the drug to people at "substantial risk for HIV". Meaning HIV
free
"gay or bisexual men who have had anal sex without a condom or been diagnosed with an
STD in the past 6 months; or heterosexual men or women who do not regularly use condoms
during sex with partners of unknown HIV status who are at substantial risk of HIV infection"
-meaning either intravenous drug users, bi-sexuals who engage in high risk behaviors...or couples
in which one of the two partners is HIV positive.
The CDC is making a limited recommendation, because Truvada is not a replacement for condoms.
Condoms are by far still the best way for sexually active people to avoid contracting
sexually transmitted diseases. If you are not at high risk, condoms are enough to keep
you safe.
Some of you right now may be thinking, "alright, I get it, but what if I know I'm going to
be having sex with a new person and I want to double down on my protection? Should I
just take one that day?"
No. Clinical trials of Truvada show that it works best if taken every day. Taking it once
right before sex or day of, is definitely not the recommended use of Truvada. It is
however the recommended use for condoms.
Which leads us to the main reason that universal administration of Truvada can not be recommended.
Condoms and sex education are the absolute best way to prevent the spread of STD's. Some
people fear that implementing Truvada on a universal level would take away from safe
sex programs, leading to an increase in gonorrhea, chlamydia and other STD's.
There is also concern that Truvada may lead to drug-resistant strains of HIV. If someone
with HIV were to take Truvada there is a chance that the virus could adapt a resistance to
the drug. This is a very very unlikely scenario, but it is still in the discussion, which is
On the whole, Truvada is a wonderful drug and according to some estimates, worldwide
we could see as much as a 20% to 25% percent reduction in incidents of high risk males
contracting HIV, "averting up to 1 million new infections among this group over 10 years."
But if you're not exhibiting high risk behavior, you shouldn't take it. You should just use
a condom.
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youtube feed. And if you want to hear the World Health Organizations take on the Truvada
or more info about HIV watch Tara's Dnews episode on those subjects.