Guidelines for the PEP Program for Early Treatment of HIV Treatment
PEP is the program for early treatment of HIV. Originally designed for workers in the medical field that may have inadvertently been exposed to the HIV virus, it is available to people who don't work in the medical field as long as they meet the guidelines.
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HIV Status of the Potentially Exposed
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To determine if the treatment is even needed, an HIV test needs to be done when someone thinks they have been exposed. This can be a rapid HIV test which takes about one hour for the results to come back.
TIming and Frequency of Exposure
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For the treatment to be effective, the time of the exposure shouldn't be greater than 72 hours. If the person has been exposed and it has been longer than 72 hours, the treatment may not work properly.
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HIV Status of Source
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To determine the maximum risk an interview with the person already diagnosed is required if possible. This way it can be determined what kind of medication they are on and the status of the virus itself.
Transmission Risk From Exposure
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The treatment requires a background review of the person needing the treatment. This is used to determine if they will continually put themselves at risk, in which case counseling may be needed.
Function
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While the treatment varies depending on how risky the situation is, it consists of numerous pills taken two to three times per day for 30 days.
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