ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida has one of the highest rates of HIV transmission in the country, and men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected, but doctors are trying to get in front of the transmission rates of HIV and other STDs in the LGBTQ+ community. I went to one clinic that is working to decrease transmission rates by using three medications.
“We’re trying to prevent infections before people get exposed,” said Dr. Bob Wallace, owner of Love the Golden Rule clinic in St. Petersburg. His clinic is LGBTQ-friendly.
In the United States, gay and bisexual men account for most new HIV transmissions, and there are racial disparities, with African American and Hispanic men being the most impacted. Though a cure still isn’t available, there are ways to prevent developing the disease.
“The most common form of oral PrEP is Discovy. The earlier formulation has been available since 2012,” explained Dr. Wallace.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, is a pill taken once a day to prevent the transmission of HIV. It’s prescribed by a doctor every three months after an STD Test, with telehealth also being an option. “In order to get Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, you need to talk to your doctor about what your activities are, what you feel your risk factors are and the doctor should be willing to talk to you and prescribe the medications to prevent you from catching HIV,” said Dr. Wallace.
The next option is called Apretude. Approved by the FDA in 2021, it’s an injectable medication used to prevent HIV.
“We were the first clinic in Pinellas County to give this medication. It’s given as a single injection. They get a second injection in one month and patients then take the injection every two months to prevent HIV,” Dr. Wallace said.
Doctors are also suggesting some patients take a pill call doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, also known as DoxyPEP after having a risky sexual encounter.
“We also now are seeing patients do a lot of work in trying to protect themselves from the other infections, such as syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea and there is something called DoxyPEP,” said Dr. Wallace.
DoxyPEP protects against a range of STIs and is taken within 72 hours after a sexual encounter.
Dr. Wallace said these medications are not just for the LGBTQ community. “We’re trying to also reach, now, to the African American community, particularly, young women of color because we’re seeing that population being infected with HIV more than we have in the past and there is this protection that can be given to prevent them from becoming infected,” said Dr. Wallace.
