Of course, holding hands does not transmit HIV. I just like the intimacy of the picture. flickr.com/photos/ hebe/ 3310171434/

Did you know that there is a daily prophylactic medication that can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV by 90% and drug needle transmission of the virus by 70%?  There is!

Only 1/3 of primary care doctors are aware that this medication exists.

According to the CDC (Centers from Disease Control), 40,000 people are diagnosed as HIV positive yearly in the United States.  The most at-risk groups are sexually active gay men, injectable drug users, and sexually active heterosexuals with a risk of 1:4 and 1:5 adn 1:200 respectively.

This medicine, Truvada, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012  It is a combination of two antiretrovirals and when taken daily it has been shown to be highly effective in decreasing the contraction of HIV.  The most common side effect of the medication is nausea and it rarely causes kidney dysfunction.  Due to kidney problems, labs should be done every 3 months.

The cost of Truvada is about $10,000 yearly and is covered by Medicaid.  We must not forget that the mainstay to decreasing HIV transmission is the correct and consistent use of condoms, the reduction of high-risk behaviors, increased access to drug treatment programs and available of sterile needles to IV drug users.

Now you know.