Prep Is No Panacea

[hungry_hole]

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160908006730/en/AHF-UCLA-Study-Shows-Gay-Men-PrEP

 

"AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation): New UCLA Study Shows Gay Men on PrEP Are 45 Times More Likely to Contract Syphilis; 25 Times More Likely To Be Infected With Gonorrhea"

 

“Not only have gay and bisexual men largely rejected the relentless drumbeat for PrEP by the CDC and other agencies who have been dubiously shilling for Gilead, the men who are using PrEP are having increased condomless sex—contrary to the PrEP guidelines set by the CDC—and, as a result, are exposing themselves to dangerous sexually transmitted infections,” continued Weinstein."

 

"Their findings come amid growing international concern about the rise of antibiotic resistant strains of gonorrhea and other STIs. In releasing its new guidelines for treating bacterial STIs last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concerns that “resistance of these STIs to the effect of antibiotics has increased rapidly in recent years and has reduced treatment options. Of the 3 STIs, gonorrhoea has developed the strongest resistance to antibiotics."

[rawfuckr]

This is SO DUMB. 

 

Like anything that the AHF tries to promote.

 

1) Major flaw of this 'research letter' is it compares STD rates of people on PrEP vs people non on PrEP and gives the rates on per person/years   without taking into account the amount of sex acts people not on PrEP are having. The only thing this study is telling you people on PrEP are having more sex people not on PrEP. But it doesn't meat PrEP leads more STDs per se. The study should focus into what are the rates per fuck on PrEP/noPrEP (bare/wrapped essentially). I'd guarantee you those numbers are quite close. 2x max for the PrEP group.

 

2) The study does mention, that people on PrEP are getting tested for STDs at a rate absurdly higher than the normal folks. Therefore they'll test + for everything way more often. This alone maybe the reason for this wooping numbers.

 

TL;DR 
PrEP people are having more sex and getting tested more often due to strict protocol. This shows up in the statistics.

[bearbandit]

AHF have persistently campaigned against PrEP: remember Weinstein calling it a "party drug"? I wouldn't trust anything that AHF has to say about PrEP (and am very glad that they're not a UK organisation!). 

What they keep failing to realise is that PrEP is part of an overall package towards curbing HIV transmission, and banging on about other STIs is a red herring. PrEP is designed to protect against one STI, namely HIV, and has no effect on other STIs. As rawfuckr mentions guys on PrEP are screened for STIs more frequently than most of the population, and if you look for things, you're liable to find them. It's perfectly possible to have an STI with no symptoms whatsoever, yet still be infectious. Gonorrhoea, for example doesn't necessarily present with a dripping cock: if the infection is in your ass, or your throat, it can be quite easily (if symptomatic) be dismissed as a bout of diarrhoea or a sore throat from "the bug that's going around".

For all the importance that some people, and yes, AHF are amongst them, condoms don't necessarily protect against STIs: herpes, syphilis and others can easily be passed on by touch. If you can get PrEP, great. But even if you decide against PrEP, or it isn't available where you live, have regular STI checkups. Your fuckbuddies will thank you.

[hungry_hole]

I found this definition of Panacea: "Something that will make everything about a situation better." PrEP is not a panacea and this is no reason to get defensive. Advocates of PrEP have to accept its shortcomings.

 

How about remembering that there are many married men who enjoy casual sex with other men but are terrified by any kind of infection, not only HIV. These men don't have the luxury of just getting treated if by chance the catch some curable STD. Yeah, for some cock&cum-hungry bottom slut who's only concerned about HIV when he takes anon loads in darkrooms, PrEP may be good enough.

[BiAggieGuy]

The AHF is against anything which might hurt their revenue stream. Weinstein is one of the few people on this planet I'd like to see just drop dead.

[hungry_hole]

The AHF is against anything which might hurt their revenue stream.

 

And Gilead is not?

[hungry_hole]

For those who don't trust any information from AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) and who want Weinstein dead because of his point of view, here is another source of information: CDC about the same topic.

 

"The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported troubling news on Tuesday that sexually transmitted infection rates skyrocketed over the last year, particularly among gay and bisexual men."

 

The CDC is concerned about the use of PrEP. And here comes the ridiculous part:

 

Although PrEP may be the culprit behind the wave of new STI infections, health groups including the World Health Organization are strongly urging men who have sex with men to get on the pill regimen but warn that the pill must be used with condoms to effectively prevent most STI infections

 

How many guys in here are on  PrEP and wearing condoms when they have sex? Does it make sense to have an organization like the CDC evaluate the defectiveness of PrEP based on the assumption that condoms are also being used? When we know that most men go on PrEP so they can have bareback sex.

 

How about the antibiotic resistance?

 

"The CDC warned that although treatments for most STIs are readily available, many STI strains are becoming antibiotic resistant, including gonorrhea."

[fvkmebb]

You can get STDs by fingering, rimming, oral sex and even by masturbating another man's cock.

Do we have to use condoms all the time? Do I have to wear gloves when I wanna touch a cock?

 

Yes, there is a wave of STDs but I don't think that condoms are helpful to get not infected.

There are too many ways to catch them ...

[jeff238]

Another thing to consider, is that one of the few side affects Truvada has, is gastric related. I would be willing to bet that the gastric biome was not studied before and after Truvada use. It could well be possible that Truvada is killing the biotic strains that would normally help protect a person from STD infection or replication.

[rawfuckr]

I looked on this a bit more and I really think the huge spike in STD numbers is simply PrEP users now getting tested orders of magnitude more often, and therefore, all this stuff being caught and reported! way more often.

 

Check this out. SF city clinic STD rates for last two years all the way up to july 2016:

 

https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/reports/StudiesData/STD/STD072016.pdf

 

Pretty flat. This is a mixture of people who show up at the STD clinic regardless of PrEP using status. If there was any crisis you would see some obvious rise on that graph.

[drscorpio]

I acknowledge PrEP is not a panacea, but it never claimed to be one. PrEP does not protect against heart disease, cancer, or the common cold, but it never claimed to do anything of those things either. 

 

I don't know about the rest of you, but the ID doctor who prescribes PrEP for me reminds me every time he sees me that it will not protect me from other diseases that condoms will. I went on PrEP because I knew I wasn't going to use condoms, and at least this keeps me from worrying about HIV. 

 

If you change nothing about your sexual habits when you add PrEP, you will be better protected than you were without it. If you stop using condoms BECAUSE you went on PrEP, of course, you are increasing your risk for STIs. 

 

I agree with what other have said though. This study was not designed in a way that allows you to compare comparable populations. 

[shyvers]

Since on PREP got STDs already 4 times, so I agree with the study somehow. Not cool that many people do not test themselves regularly for STDs and keep spreading them!

[rawfuckr]

Since on PREP got STDs already 4 times, so I agree with the study somehow. Not cool that many people do not test themselves regularly for STDs and keep spreading them!

 

Would you mind to share the frequency and activities you've been doing that landed you with 4 STDs? I tend to think I'm a bit of a whore and either I'm lucky and I'm not getting many STDs or I simply don't hook up that much compared to other people. I got chlamydia twice in my close to 4 years on PrEP, which I don't think is much. BTW, both of my cases had no symptoms and would not had been caught without my PrEP quarterly testing.

Edited September 13, 2016 by rawfuckr

[C10H15N]

The AHF is completely out of touch with reality.

It's like buggy whip makers raging against those newfangled automobiles.

Time to find a new job, assholes.

[backpackguy]

Yup, the AHF and Weinstein have adopted the same "party line" as the Catholic church did when birth control became available to women...it will cause you to be nothing more than a whore!