This proposed study is designed to investigate the acceptability, perceived need and uptake of short-term episodic Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). Long-term PrEP may be unnecessary for the many HIV-uninfected men who have episodic contextually defined high-risk periods, particularly when away from their home setting. Alternative dosing strategies, such as short-term fixed-interval episodic PrEP (Epi-PrEP), may be a more realistic, feasible, acceptable, and useful option with high public health impact for the majority of MSM. The overall objective is to determine the feasibility of a clinic-based Epi-PrEP implementation pilot project for 50 MSM (25/each of the 2 study sites) who report occasional condomless sex and who anticipate a period of high-risk while away from home (e.g. vacation) during the study period.
This study is designed to investigate the acceptability, perceived need and uptake of short-term episodic Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). The overall objective is to determine the feasibility of a clinic-based Epi-PrEP implementation pilot project for 50 MSM (25/each of the 2 study sites) who report occasional condomless sex and who anticipate a period of high-risk while away from home (e.g. vacation) during the study period.