Back to: COPY of HIV Stigma Workshop Kit
The following ways greatly reduce the risk of new HIV infections. Ways HIV can be prevented include:
- Using condoms correctly and consistently during sex
- Taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) if you are HIV-negative and at risk. PrEP is medication taken regularly by someone who does not have HIV to prevent getting HIV before potential exposure.
- After a potential exposure to HIV (within about 72 hours), PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a short course of medication that can be taken as soon as possible to prevent HIV infection.
- Ensuring that people living with HIV have access to effective treatment that prevents HIV from being passed on to another person (U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable)
- Regular HIV testing amongst people at higher risk is a prevention strategy because it helps people know their status early, connect to treatment, and reduce the chance of passing HIV to others.
- For people who use drugs, an important strategy is using sterile needles and injection equipment and regular HIV testing.
- Focusing on women, a strategy to prevent mother-to-child transmission is through the mother being on treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
In British Columbia, any doctor or nurse practitioner licensed in the province can prescribe HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). For most residents with MSP coverage, PrEP is available at no cost through the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE).
BC SURR Area Realities: Access to PrEP and PEP is often more limited in smaller urban, rural, and remote areas because of fewer trained providers, less available services, transportation barriers, stigma, and uneven awareness which means people may not be offered or able to access these prevention options when they need them.
EXPLORE MORE
Tips for Safer Sex (Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights)
Safer injecting and smoking supplies (CATIE) – Focusing in on people who use drugs, this web page functions like a directory of information summaries, guidelines or manuals, brochures, fact sheets, and infographics as downloadable PDFs
STBBI Prevention Guide (Government of Canada)
U=U Specific Resources:
Prevention Access Campaign (U=U)
U=U: A guide for service providers (CATIE)
The power of undetectable: How HIV treatment prevents transmission (CATIE)
PrEP and PEP Specific Resources:
Guidance for the use of PEP for HIV in BC (BCCfE)
HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) (BCCfE)
HIV PEP for Consensual Sex and Drug Use – Healthcare Provider Support Tool (Health Initiative for Men)
Canadian Guideline on HIV PrEP and PEP (CATIE)
Strategies to overcome barriers and enhance PrEP adoption among primary care providers in urban–rural communities outside Canada’s major metropolitan areas (Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services) – Article
Barriers and facilitators of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and use in Canada: a scoping review protocol (BMJ Open) – Article