Kiplagat Charles
Community Health Worker,Kenya.
Title: Knowledge of truvada pre exposure prophylaxis (prep) among men who have sex with men in kisumu county, kenya
Biography
Biography: Kiplagat Charles
Abstract
Background: Each country in the world has put in place strategies to prevent HIV/AIDS infections. In Kenya today, to control HIV/AIDS infection, there are various strategies that have been put in place for example: Voluntary counseling and Testing (VCT), Prevention of mother to Child transmission (PMTCT), Voluntary Medical male circumcision (VMMC) and Condom use among others. In that context however, research has shown that Truvada PrEP reduces the risk of HIV infection by more than 90% among gay and bisexual men when taken once-daily The objective of this study is to investigate the knowledge of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PreP) among Men who have Sex with Men.
Method: Ten community health workers were subjected to a three week intensive training programs to empower them with skills of carrying out interviews. Data was collected for a period of three months by use of Questionnaires and personal interviews. During the study, the enumerators used the following demographic data: Sex, Age, Education and how the partners perceive the use of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis
Results: 80 MSM were enrolled in this survey with their ages ranging from 18-35 years all being Males who are HIV + and with basic High Education. Of 40% of the respondents, they have preferred to use condoms as a protective device and other Gels other than Truvada PreP.50% of the respondents were in agreement to use PreP and they had some perceptions on the cost, availability, side effects in the event of stoppage while 10% of the respondents were not sure whether to use Truvada PreP or not since they needed more Education of Medical experts. However, the level of knowledge of Truvada PreP was proportional to their Education.
Conclusion: The survey showed that more information on Truvada PreP usage should be disseminated since its usage still remains a myth to most Kenyans (there is still a strong believe that AIDS as no cure).Therefore, for a successful Truvada usage depends on Opinion leaders, health Professionals and researchers to correct the current misconceptions existing about Truvada PreP in their communities