PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) helps prevent HIV infection after possible exposure.
If you think that you have been exposed to HIV, it is very important that you act sooner rather than later. PEP is a month-long course of drugs that can help prevent HIV infection after a possible exposure to HIV.
The sooner someone starts PEP, the better, but it must be started within 72 hours (3 days) after a possible exposure to HIV. In Canberra, you can access PEP from the emergency departments of Canberra Hospital and North Canberra Hospital, and during business hours at the Canberra Sexual Health Centre.
Reasons to take PEP may include:
- having receptive anal/vaginal sex without a condom when you’re not using PrEP, with someone whose HIV status you do not know
- having receptive anal/vaginal sex without a condom with someone who is HIV positive and does not have an undetectable viral load
- a condom breaking or slipping during sex
- sharing injecting equipment
PEP is not a cure for HIV. It can prevent HIV from establishing itself in the body when a course of PEP is started within 72 hours after a possible exposure.
We encourage people to act as quickly as possible to access PEP and begin using it to give it the best chance of working as intended.
If you find that you need to access PEP more than once, you might want to consider PrEP.
Find out more about PEP at www.getpep.info