New Website Sets the Record Straight on Groundbreaking HIV Prevention Strategy Known as PrEP

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/-- Getting reliable, easy-to-understand information about a groundbreaking new HIV prevention strategy just got easier. The strategy, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is the focus of a new website, PrEPfacts.org, developed by San Francisco AIDS Foundation in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other community partners.

"Ever since PrEP first emerged as a viable and effective strategy to prevent new HIV infections, we have seen a lot of misinformation about it," said Neil Giuliano, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "So we set out to create a website that delivers all the facts, in a way that's engaging and interactive, so that gay and bisexual men and transwomen in our community have the best possible information to determine if PrEP might be a valuable tool in their lives."

In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Truvada for PrEP. It is for use by HIV-negative individuals at risk for infection as part of a comprehensive prevention package that includes regular condom use, HIV testing, and risk reduction and adherence counseling.

"Right now in San Francisco, we are launching the first demonstration project to determine how best to implement PrEP in different communities," said Dr. Albert Liu, Director of HIV Prevention Intervention Studies at SFDPH. "This new website, PrEPfacts.org, is an important resource to provide our community with accurate, timely, and relevant information about this new HIV prevention strategy."

PrEPfacts.org boldly states that "love may have a new defender" in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The site gives an overview of PrEP, answers commonly asked questions and dispels many of the myths about the strategy, provides information about the upcoming demonstration project in San Francisco, and looks ahead to other HIV prevention interventions that are on the horizon.

The website is a collaboration between San Francisco AIDS Foundation; Project Inform; San Francisco HIV Vaccine Trials Network and HIV Prevention Trials Network; Bridge HIV; Magnet, a program of San Francisco AIDS Foundation which is leading demonstration project recruitment efforts in the Castro neighborhood; and San Francisco City Clinic, which is enrolling participants for the demonstration study. The website is sponsored and funded by Be The Generation, an initiative of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

For more information, visit www.PrEPfacts.org.

About San Francisco AIDS Foundation
No city experienced epidemic levels of HIV faster than San Francisco. At San Francisco AIDS Foundation, we work to end the epidemic where it first took hold, and eventually everywhere. Established in 1982, our mission is the radical reduction of new infections in San Francisco. Through education, advocacy, and direct services for prevention and care, we are confronting HIV in communities most vulnerable to the disease. We refuse to accept that HIV transmission is inevitable. For more information, visit www.sfaf.org.

Contact: Ryan McKeel
(415) 487-3071
[email protected]

SOURCE San Francisco AIDS Foundation