As of September 1, 2019, people in Germany aged 16 and over who have a high risk of HIV are entitled to the prophylaxis PrEP medication.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
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1) How it works
Many people living with HIV aren't aware that they have it. This leaves some onus for prevention on those who are HIV-negative.
By taking PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) people at-risk can prevent contraction of the disease. Similar to the birth control pill, PrEP is a pill that needs to be taken everyday.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells in the immune system, impairing or destroying their function.
2) It's effective
Also like birth control pills, PrEP's effectiveness is dependent on the user's adherence to taking it. PrEP is nearly 100% effective for individuals who take it as directed. Women, especially, must take PrEP every day for it to be effective in preventing HIV.
A recent study found that if just a quarter of men who are having same-sex intercourse and at high risk for HIV (i.e. not using condoms) used PrEP, 30% of new infections could be avoided and accoring to researchers at San Francisco State University sexual transmission of HIV could be reduced by 96% if PrEP was widely used.
3) It's under-used
A lack of awareness, healthcare funding, and understanding, along with high costs and social stigma all present barriers to adoption of the drug around the world. Studies have also found that some healthcare providers' biases towards patients create a barrier to them prescribing the drug.
4) It's safe
PrEP has been shown to be as safe as aspirin, with equally low rates of serious side effects to the painkiller.
One study in South Africa in 2017 also looked into use of PrEP by sexually active teens and found it to be safe.
5) It doesn't protect against other STIs
PrEP users are still at risk of getting other sexually transmitted infections like herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis if they don't use condoms.
7 of the deadliest superbugs
Drug-resistant "superbugs" often spread in a place we think of as sterile — hospitals. They are very difficult to treat and pose a serious threat to global human health. Here are some of the most dangerous.
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Klebsiella pneumoniae
Approximately 3-5% of the population carry Klebsiella pneumoniae. But most people can carry it without becoming sick. It's different for those with a weakened immune system or acute infections. They could suffer severe gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, blood poisoning — it depends on where the bacteria settles. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a critical-priority drug-resistant bug, says the WHO.
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Candida auris
Making headlines in the US at the moment, Candida auris is an emerging fungus that's proving multidrug-resistant to antifungal medication commonly used to treat Candida infections. It's appeared on five continents so far and been so hard to get rid of some hospitals have had to close down to eliminate it. Healthy people aren't usually infected, but those who are unwell or need surgery are at risk.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Armer
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
This highly resistant, "nightmare bug" has been classified by the WHO as one of the biggest threats to human health. Thriving in wet or moist places, it's one of the hardest bacteria to eradicate. It's usually only seen in people with weakened immune systems, but healthy people can also get ear and skin infections if they come into contact with it, especially after being around contaminated water.
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Neisseria gonorrhea
There's no vaccine for gonorrhea, so antibiotics are the only option for treating infections. But this sexually-transmitted disease is increasingly resistant to the drugs — azithromycin, cefixime and ceftriaxone — normally used to treat it. Two cases of so-called super gonorrhea were reported in Australia in 2018 and another two in the UK in early 2019. Another good reason to always wear a condom!
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Salmonellae
This bug is best known for causing non-typhoidal foodborne infections, but it can also cause typhoid fever in humans. In the last few decades, a highly virulant, antibiotic-resistant strain has emerged. Spread through contaminated food and water, regions including Asia and Africa are experiencing epidemics of the drug-resistant bacteria.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Thompson
Acinetobacter baumannii
Ranked in the highest-risk category of pathogens by the WHO, this bug is commonly found in soil and water and can take on genes from other resistant bacteria. It's able to survive in healthy patients without causing symptoms, but can cause deadly lung, blood and wound infections in unwell patients. This is why outbreaks of Acinetobacter infections are usually seen in intensive care units.
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Drug resistant tuberculosis
Myobacterium tuberculosis is one of the world's leading infectious diseases, causing more than 1.7 million deaths each year. It's estimated that up to 13 percent of all new tuberculosis cases are multidrug-resistant — unresponsive to two of the most potent treatments — and six percent are extensively drug-resistant, unresponsive to even more. These sufferers are more likely to get diseases or die.
