Pre-exposure Prophylaxis

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is any medical or public health procedure used before exposure to the disease causing agent, its purpose is to prevent, rather than treat or cure a disease. An example would be if a doctor gave a medication used to treat a disease to a healthy person who is not thought to have that disease, but is at risk for contracting it. More specifically, this practice is common with people who are about to travel from an area without malaria to an area where malaria is a risk, and also it is being researched as a tool to prevent persons from contracting HIV.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis can also refer to the aggressive use of vaccination, for example in an attempt to prevent rabies in people such as laboratory workers who are high risk for being bitten by rabid animals.

Read more about Pre-exposure Prophylaxis:  PrEP For Malaria, PrEP For HIV, See Also