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rfmcdonaldThings like the prophylactic consumption of tenofovir to guard against HIV infection take me aback.
Never mind that it hasn't actually been proven that tenofovir does guard against HIV infection; I can't get my head around how these guys can get the courage to ask their doctors for the prescriptions. It isn't surprising that people are willing to run this risk, considering that unprotected anal sex in the era of HIV/AIDS is not nearly as obviously and immediately fatal as, say, heterosexual intercourse resulting in pregnancy in the days before obstetricians and antibiotics. It is depressing, though.
"Taking a T." That's what HIV-negative gay men call the growing practice of downing the AIDS drug tenofovir and hoping it protects them from the virus during unprotected sex.
It's being sold in packets along with Viagra and Ecstasy in gay dance clubs and even prescribed by physicians, say doctors and AIDS prevention experts. The trend has alarmed public health officials. There is no proof that tenofovir protects against HIV transmission, they say. People who practise unsafe sex while taking the drug could still become infected or suffer side effects from it.
Never mind that it hasn't actually been proven that tenofovir does guard against HIV infection; I can't get my head around how these guys can get the courage to ask their doctors for the prescriptions. It isn't surprising that people are willing to run this risk, considering that unprotected anal sex in the era of HIV/AIDS is not nearly as obviously and immediately fatal as, say, heterosexual intercourse resulting in pregnancy in the days before obstetricians and antibiotics. It is depressing, though.
