"All gay men should take HIV medication"

[Didymus 34,380]

 

All gay men should consider taking HIV inhibitors. That's a new advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a supplementary precaution when engaging in safe s-x.

 

The World Health Organisation has published a new report on HIV prevention. One of the new guidelines in the report is that all gay men are advised to take HIV inhibitors daily, for example Truvada or Tenofovir in combination with emtricitabine. Until now that was only advised to gay men who had a (s-xual) relationship with a seropositive partner.

 

"Despite all the prevention campaigns, the number of HIV diagnosed gay men keeps on rising worldwide. That's why we think additional prevention can be important", the report claims. "The advantages offered by the HIV inhibitors are more effective than the possible disadvantages, like the side effects of the medication." The inhibitors diminish the risk of infection with 90 percent.

 

Still, the side effects seem to be a bitter pill to take. 10 percent of the current users suffers from nausea, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting and muscle aches. Between 1 and 10 percent of the users also suffers from stomach aches, sleeplessness and rashes.

 

The Flemish expertisecentre for s-xual health, Sensoa, responds positively on the new WHO guidelines, "but that doesn't mean that every man should take HIV inhibitors. For some it can be a useful option, however." Just today this organisation has launched a new HIV prevention campaign "A lot or little virus, a big difference" to inform gay men about seropositivity. With flyers and a folder the Flemish center wants to underscore that someone infected with HIV is very likely to contaminate someone else and that the degree of contamination can be diminished strongly with the proper medication.

 

Sensoa also wants to eliminate the irrational fear that some gay men experience towards HIV positive men. Someone who is seropositive and takes his medication well will almost completely remove the virus and will have an extremely low chance of contaminating someone else.

 

"Some gay men refuse to have s-x with a seropositive man, because they think the virus is still very contaminating," says Crussaert of the organisation. "That stigma blocks open communication about HIV and only increases the chance of seropositive men not being brave enough to open up about their situation to others."

 

Source: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/buitenland/1.2032948 (Dutch)

 

Translated as accurately as possible by myself. Discuss this important new advice.

[garnite 8]

s-xually active or promiscuous... i can understand. the spread of hiv sucks. it'd be like how women take birth control. ALL gay men however, that's silly.

[Yanko 9,860]

: If it doesn't cost too much, maybe

 

 

i dont understand HIV that much  

[Didymus 34,380]

s-xually active or promiscuous... i can understand. the spread of hiv sucks. it'd be like how women take birth control. ALL gay men however, that's silly.

 

I think the rationale behind it is that when you start taking the medication only when you have become s-xually active, it might not work fast enough and the risk of infection during your early s-xual experiences is not diminished. I haven't done any reading about the advised medication, though.

[Diamond Heart 4,400]

I think it would be like women taking the pill, i mean what harm really would it do to start taking these, because women have pretty much the same side effects as described above when taking the pill. 

Id be for it tbh

[mucinex 4,260]

not taking that (not s-xually active )

[ege 2]

Well HIV doesn't come with you when you are born with your homos-xuality...

[Red 99,108]

This is like saying that every overweight person should take hypertension medication :spin:

[Dodo 313]

messy

[monketsharona 90,118]

ALL ? Definitely no. But guys who have s-x with a lot of mates and who take no cares about safe s-x, yes.

[RAMROD 117,036]

I feel insulted actually :toofunny:

[Valextra 58]

Taking a medicine, especially nowadays that are full of **** for something that you don't have is very SILLY, you could have other health issues for taking that things especially if you don't have that disease, it's really silly say a thing like that, it's making marketing of big pharmaceutic companies on the fear of people, especially in this community :wtf: 

 

Gay men and people should take the responsibility of protect themselves with preservative and to pay attention who with they go to bed, but taking medicine for something that you don't have could be very dangerous for your health, especially that kind of things.

[Didymus 34,380]

I feel insulted actually

 

Just for your own safety, in the context of the number HIV infected gay men rising every year

 

Nothing to feel insulted for.

[Computer 10,980]

No

 

This is offensive.  Just tell all humans to take the medication, then.

[Didymus 34,380]

Taking a medicine, especially nowadays that are full of **** for something that you don't have is very SILLY, you could have other health issues for taking that things especially if you don't have that disease, it's really silly say a thing like that, it's making marketing of big pharmaceutic companies on the fear of people, especially in this community :wtf:

 

Gay men and people should take the responsibility of protect themselves with preservative and to pay attention who with they go to bed, but taking medicine for something that you don't have could be very dangerous for your health, especially that kind of things.

 

That's a very interesting point you make. That's why I included the opinion of the Flemish organization who was far more rational, I thought. Thanks for respoinding and raising an interesting point