A study conducted by researchers in Rhode Island found that few members of a population at significant risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reported ever using the pill that protects them from the virus.

Ryan Westergaard, MD, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, Infectious Disease, who was not involved in the research, commented on the study that conducted an anonymous online survey of 2,347 men ages 18 to 24 who are at high risk for contracting HIV.

Less than 4 percent of respondents reported ever using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a pill that reduces the risk of contracting HIV from sex by more than 90 percent.

"We have had a sense that PrEP is not reaching the communities that would benefit from it most, but the overall level of 3.4 percent is surprisingly low," said Dr. Westergaard.

Resources:

• "Many young U.S. men at high risk for HIV do not take anti-HIV pill," Reuters, December 12, 2017