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Home / Answered Questions / People have been telling me about something called prep to prevent HIV. What is it?

People have been telling me about something called prep to prevent HIV. What is it?

Hi

PREP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is another way to reduce HIV risk. Prep is when someone without HIV takes HIV medication everyday to reduce the chance of having it pass to them. The only problem with PREP in Canada is that the medication has not been approved to be used this way, which means many doctors are not comfortable prescribing it. It is also not covered by the provincial medical plan, which means you would need to pay for the approximate $900 per month unless you have extended medical insurance that will cover the cost. For additional information have a look at the Health Initiative for Men (HIM) website on PREP. They have detailed information about its use in Canada.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

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This answer was posted on October 15, 2015.

This answer was updated on February 7, 2022.