Prescriptions to prevent HIV infection increased 1,000% in New York City since 2014, new figures reveal

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The rate of New Yorkers taking medication to protect themselves from HIV infection has rocketed 1000 percent in just two years.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a daily pill that is at least 90 percent effective in reducing the risk of contracting the virus.

And yet, national studies have shown that just 10 percent of the people who would benefit from it have prescriptions for the medication.

But a new report by Kaiser Permanente San Francisco has shown things are changing in New York: with a surge of 976 percent in PrEP prescriptions between 2014 and 2016.

The paper credits the city’s unconventional sex-positive campaigns, and a drive to provide PrEP in clinics.

Speaking to Daily Mail Online, Demetre Daskalakis, head of the HIV division at New York City’s Department of Health, said the news is an exciting breakthrough, but conceded that more needs to be done to broaden coverage for women and ethnic minorities.

610773b746601f4c8f6450ba43bf1080 Prescriptions to prevent HIV infection increased 1,000% in New York City since 2014, new figures reveal

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