Accessing PrEP in MB

This page has has been adapted from our friends at the EMHC: Edmonton Men’s Health Collective who designed the page: PrEP Alberta. The information below does not constitute medical advice and you should always get medical advise from a trusted health professional.

What is HIV? 

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that can weaken your immune system, your body’s built-in defence against disease and illness. Because of this, people living with HIV who do not access treatment are more likely to get sick than those without HIV, and can experience infections that people with healthier immune systems do not. If left untreated, someone living with HIV can be diagnosed with AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), a potentially life threatening condition. 

Sometimes you can have HIV for a period of years without knowing it. The best way to know whether or not you have HIV is through getting tested. If you do test positive for HIV, there is no need to be alarmed. HIV treatment today is very effective and can allow people living with HIV to live long and healthy lives. In addition to this, we now know that someone living with HIV who takes their treatment regularly as prescribed can achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load, meaning that the amount of HIV in the person’s bloodstream is so low that it cannot be detected by standard HIV viral load tests. When someone living with HIV has an undetectable viral load, they cannot pass HIV onto their partners sexually. 

How is HIV transmitted? 

HIV is commonly passed through… 

  • Through blood, semen blood, semen (including pre-cum), vaginal fluid, rectal fluid, breast or chest milk. 

  • Through broken skin, the opening of the penis or the wet linings of the body, such as the vagina (front hole), rectum or foreskin. 

  • Through methods such as anal and vaginal (or frontal) sex, through sharing drug use equipment, especially needles, through broken skin 

  • To a fetus or baby during pregnancy, birth or chest feeding, by sharing needles or ink to get a tattoo, by sharing needles or jewelry to get a body piercing, by sharing acupuncture needles. 

HIV cannot be passed through shaking hands, working, or eating with someone who has HIV, hugging or kissing, coughing, sneezing, or spitting, swimming pools, toilet seats, water fountains, insects, animals, healthy, unbroken skin, or through sexual contact by a person with an undetectable viral load. 

What is PrEP? 

Approved by Health Canada in 2016, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is the use of HIV medication by someone who is HIV negative, in advance of possible exposure to HIV, to prevent HIV infection. When taken at least 4 times per week, PrEP is 99% effective at preventing HIV infection (CDC). 

PrEP generally comes in the form of one pill which includes two types of HIV medication, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC). These medications are safe, have been used in HIV treatment for many years, and have generally been well-tolerated by those taking them.  When PrEP reaches sufficient concentration in a person’s body, it acts like a chemical shield which prevents HIV from making more copies of itself, ultimately preventing someone from becoming HIV positive. 

While the main reason someone might take PrEP is to prevent HIV, people might use PrEP for many other reasons, such as taking charge of their own sexual health or reducing anxiety of HIV infection.  PrEP is most often taken daily. Some individuals may choose to take it intermittently or “on-demand” upon discussion with their healthcare provider. 

While PrEP is extremely effective at preventing HIV infection, it does not prevent other sexually transmitted or blood borne infections (STBBIs) such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, or Hepatitis C. Therefore, even people on PrEP should consider other STBBI prevention options like condoms. 

Is PrEP right for me?  A Step-By-Step Guide: 

  1.  Below are just some of the options for finding the information your need to find out if PrEP is right for you:

    1. Contact the Nine Circles Community Health Centre or read through their information on PrEP to decide whether it is a good HIV prevention option for you. 

    2. You can also contact Our Own Health Centre to book an appointment with a doctor / health care provider to talk about PrEP.

    3. You can also ask your current health care provider, though they may not have the answers so you may need to reach out to one of the two options above.

  2. Contact your insurance company to determine if you have healthcare coverage that will help you pay for PrEP. 

  3. If you decide to take PrEP, contact your healthcare provider about getting a prescription. 

  4. Complete PrEP pre-screening requirements to determine your HIV status, test for other STIs, and assess baseline bodily functions (like how well your kidneys work). 

  5. If you test HIV-negative and there are not other significant concerns, your provider should give you a prescription for PrEP.  Bring your prescription to a pharmacy to have it filled. 

  6. Once you have a prescription, take your PrEP as directed by your healthcare provider.  After 30 days, and then every 90 days afterward, you will have to complete follow up and monitoring requirements.  Refill your prescription as directed by your provider.