There are now several ways to prevent HIV, and they work together rather than competing. Which combination fits depends on your life, not on anyone’s opinion of it.
What works
- Condoms, used correctly and every time. They also prevent other infections and pregnancy, which nothing else on this list does.
- Treatment as prevention. A partner living with HIV who is on treatment and undetectable cannot pass it on.
- PrEP. A tablet taken by an HIV-negative person at ongoing risk. Taken as prescribed it is highly effective. Ask at a health facility.
- PEP. After a possible exposure: a 28-day course that can prevent infection, but it must start within 72 hours, and the sooner the better.
- Never share needles or blades. That includes razors at the barber and equipment for injections or piercing.
- Voluntary medical male circumcision, which substantially reduces the risk of a man acquiring HIV from a woman.
Mother to child
With testing in pregnancy, treatment for the mother, and the short course given to the baby, transmission is reduced to a very small chance. Every antenatal visit includes the offer of a test for this reason. A woman on effective treatment can breastfeed.
Act within 72 hours
- After a condom breaks with a partner whose status you do not know.
- After a needle-stick injury, at work or otherwise.
- After sexual assault. Go to a health facility today; PEP, emergency contraception and other care are all time-limited.
What does not prevent HIV
- Washing after sex.
- Choosing partners by how they look, or by how well you know them.
- Any herbal preparation, prayer alone, or a traditional treatment sold as protection.
- Withdrawal.
Testing is part of prevention
Testing with a new partner, and regularly if you have more than one, is what makes the rest of this possible. It is free and confidential.
