The risk of becoming infected with HIV while using PrEP is very low. Therefore, it’s a beneficial option for those who don’t always …

Until recently, condoms were the only viable option for safe-sex practices among gay and bisexual men. When it was discovered that HIV was a sexually transmitted disease, condoms became the zeitgeist of safe-sex culture. Although this tool kept many gay and bisexual men HIV-negative through the worst of the epidemic, the use of condoms to prevent HIV created, or further perpetuated, rather, an inequality among gay men in their sexual relationships. Even within the gay community, the receiving partner in intercourse was looked upon as subservient and "less than."

PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.

• PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed.

• Although there is less information about how effective PrEP pills are among people who inject drugs, we know that PrEP pills reduce the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken as prescribed. Currently, PrEP shots are not recommended for people who inject drugs.

• PrEP is less effective when not taken as prescribed.

Although the updated PrEP guideline provides information on how to correctly use the “2-1-1” schedule, this approach is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not recommended by CDC. Taking PrEP as prescribed is currently the only FDA-approved schedule for taking PrEP to prevent HIV. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.

Read Josh’s story about how he went from having to take daily pills for HIV to an injection called Cabenuva once every 2 months. Is it a simple switch? For many, it’s a no brainer but for others there are concerns about pain and even the size of one’s butt.

As of December 1, the CDC had tallied nearly 30,000 mpox cases in the United States and more than 81,000 cases worldwide. A large majority of cases have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and sexual contact is the most commonly reported transmission route.

Mpox cases fell by more than 90% after peaking in late July and early August, according to Daskalakis. Experts attribute the drop to a combination of factors, including immunity in the initially infected group, rapid vaccine uptake and behavior change. A CDC survey conducted in August found that half of men who have sex with men had made changes, such as having fewer sex partners.