PrEP is short for pre-exposure prophylaxis and involves taking either oral or injectable prescription antiretroviral medications in advance of potential HIV exposure. Efforts to use PrEP's heralded ability to reduce new infections have stalled in the United States.
The national HIV epidemic has long been marred by racial inequities and only a modestly declining new infection rate, this shortfall is a major factor in why the country lags far behind many others in the fight against HIV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV infection estimates among white gay and bi men have declined while remaining stable or only modestly declining among their Black and Latino counterparts. Whites in this demographic comprised 15% of the 34,800 HIV transmissions in 2019, while populations of their Black and Latino peers comprised a respective 26% and 23% of new cases.
