Although a third of people with hepatitis C surveyed in Washington, DC, and Baltimore were potentially eligible for HIV prevention pills or long-acting injections, most had not heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and very few were using it, according to a recent study. HIV and hepatitis C virus share some of the same transmission routes, suggesting that many people living with hepatitis C could benefit from HIV prevention tools. Researchers assessed PrEP awareness and use among 314 participants with hepatitis C in the GRAVITY study. Most were heterosexual Black men and women recruited through a harm reduction organization. About one third had an indication for PrEP, but just 85 participants (27%) had ever heard of it, 32 people (10%) had been offered PrEP by a health care provider and only six (2%) were currently using it. More encouragingly, 38% of participants overall, and 43% of those with a PrEP indication, said they were interested or maybe interested in PrEP, suggesting that people at risk for HIV may be receptive to efforts to increase uptake.
Prevention: Hep C and PrEP
HIV and hepatitis C virus share some of the same transmission routes.
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