Introduction: Advancement in biomedical science has led to the discovery of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as new strategies for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This current study was a quantitative analysis that sought to evaluate the awareness and willingness to use PrEP and PEP by sexually active adults in Ghana.
Material and methods: The study respondents consisted of 365 sexually active adults in Ghana. A questionnaire was designed and administered to participants online using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) approach. A χ2 test and logistic regression were employed for the analysis.
Results: The study revealed a generally low awareness of PrEP and PEP. Only 25.2% of the respondents were aware of PrEP, while 20.3% were aware of PEP. Despite the low awareness rate, majority of respondents (69.3%) were willing to use PrEP and PEP for prevention of HIV. On the other hand, 30.7% of the respondents indicated their unwillingness to use PrEP and PEP citing the fear of undesirable side effects of the medications as the main reason for their decision.
Conclusions: This paper calls on policy-makers to intensify advocacy for the usefulness of PrEP and PEP. The Ghana Health Service and Ghana AIDS Commission should also ensure that PrEP and PEP services are increased and include all sexually active persons in Ghana. This will ensure a great success in mitigating HIV infections in Ghana.
REFERENCES(30)
1.
GBD 2017 HIV collaborators; Frank TD, Carter A, Jahagirdar D, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980-2017, and forecasts to 2030, for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. Lancet HIV 2019; 6: e831-e859. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-....
World Health Organisation. Implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV infection: module 6: pharmacists. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
FDA approves second drug to prevent HIV infection as part of ongoing efforts to end the HIV epidemic. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release). 3 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
Chou R, Evans C, Hoverman A, et al. Preexposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV infection: evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive services task force. JAMA 2019; 321: 2214-2230.
World Health Organization. Guidelines on post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV and the use of co-trimoxazole prophylaxis for HIV-related infections among adults, adolescents and children: recommendations for a public health approach: December 2014 supplement to the 2013 consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
Suglo RE, Aku FY, Anaman-Torgbor JA, Tarkang EE. Predictors of adherence to HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis protocol among frontline healthcare workers at the Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Int J Infect Dis 2021; 106: 208-212.
Tetteh RA, Nartey ET, Lartey M, et al. Outcomes of a postexposure prophylaxis program at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana: a retrospective cohort study. J Int Assoc Prov AIDS Care 2015; 14: 544-552.
Tran NK, Felsher M, Pol BV, Bellamy SL, McKnight J, Roth AM. Intention to initiate and uptake of PrEP among women who injects drugs in a demonstration project: an application of the theory of planned behavior. AIDS Care 2021; 33: 746-753.
Wang Z, Lau JTF, Fang Y, Ip M, Gross DL. Prevalence of actual uptake and willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men in Hong Kong, China. PLoS One 2018; 13: e0191671. https://doi.org/10.1371/journa....
Sousa LR, Elias HC, Fernandes NM, Gir E, Reis RK. Knowledge of PEP and PrEP among people living with HIV/AIDS in Brazil. BMC Public Health 2021; 21: 64. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10135-3.
Lachowsky NJ, Lin SY, Hull MW, et al. Pre-exposure prophylaxis awareness among gay and other men who have sex with men in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. AIDS Behav 2016; 20: 1408-1422.
Chuang DM, Newman PA. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness and acceptability among men who have sex with men in Taiwan. AIDS Educ Prev 2018; 30: 490-501.
Hampshire A, Trender W, Chamberlain SR, et al. Cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19. EClinicalMedicine 2021; 39: 101044. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101044.
Grimsrud A, Wilkinson L. Acceleration of differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment in sub‐Saharan Africa during COVID‐19. J Int AIDS Soc 2021; 24: e25704. DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25704.
Goedel WC, Mayer KH, Mimiaga MJ, Duncan DT. Considerable interest in pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among men who have sex with men recruited from a popular geosocial-networking smartphone application in London. Global Public Health 2019; 14: 112-121.
Bil JP, Davidovich U, van der Veldt WM, et al. What do Dutch MSM think of preexposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV-infection? A cross-sectional study. AIDS 2015; 29: 955-964.
Restar AJ, Tocco JU, Mantell JE, et al. Perspectives on HIV pre-and post-exposure prophylaxes (PrEP and PEP) among female and male sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya: implications for integrating biomedical prevention into sexual health services. AIDS Educ Prev 2017; 29: 141-153.
Eakle R, Venter F, Rees H. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in an era of stalled HIV prevention: can it change the game? Retrovirology 2018; 15: 29. DOI: 10.1186/s12977-018-0408-3.
Gudiño-Rosales S, Thompson-Robinson M, Andrews J. Factors associated with PrEP and PEP uptake among the LatinX population. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unl....
Prati G, Zani B, Pietrantoni L, et al. PEP and TasP awareness among Italian MSM, PLWHA, and high-risk heterosexuals and demographic, behavioral, and social correlates. PLoS One 2016; 11: e0157339. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157339.
Schueler K, Ferreira M, Nikolopoulos G, et al. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness and use within high HIV transmission networks. AIDS Behav 2019; 23: 1893-1903.
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.