Preventive use of HIV medication
In the Netherlands about 20.000 persons are infected with HIV. Although the number of new infections has gone down as a result of condom use, frequent testing and direct treatment, around 800 new infections still occur each year. PrEP can help to further decrease this number. It is important to reach the right target group (men who have sex with men) and to ensure the medication is taken correctly. Also, medical follow-up is essential, to provide counseling on the correct use of PrEP, to monitor side effects and to test regularly for HIV and other STIs. The National Health Council recommends to evaluate the implementation of PrEP after five years.
In addition to the advisory report a short video was made (in Dutch only).