Stong demand for antiretrovirals after unsafe sexual encounters

A study from Los Angeles, USA has found that people who ask for antiretroviral drugs after and unsafe sexual encounter are very likely to be compliant on the one month prophylaxis required to reduce their chances of contracting HIV. Researchers are now recommending that the Los Angeles County make antiretrovirals available to people who have engaged in high-risk sexual activities, in the same way that they do for sex workers.

The issue is a human rights one, according to local professor, Steven Shoptaw. People who have health insurance can receive post-exposure prophylaxis because they can pay for it, but such care is not currently available on the state.

Of the participants, 75 percent completed the monthlong drug treatment and none were found to have converted to HIV-positive status, the researchers said. Given that such a high percentage of patients completed the full drug regimen, UCLA researchers concluded that it would be feasible to develop a post exposure prophylaxis plan for at risk populations that could be implemented through Los Angeles County.