If you may have been exposed to HIV, get the preventive medicine within 72 hours, the sooner the better
- Moderate value
- Evidence B
- Buys life
- Costs a lot
- Takes minutes
- Some willpower
In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.
In plain words
If you suspect you were infected with HIV, 72 hours is a hard line, and it is best to take the first dose within 2 hours. The drugs must be taken for 28 days in a row. After 72 hours this route is gone, so don't wait until the next day to decide.
- Cost
-
A 28-day course of the drugs costs over a thousand CNY, paid out of pocket in most areas. You have to make a trip to the hospital that same night. The hard part is admitting on the spot that you may have been infected, and heading out at once.
- What you get
-
The wording from the Beijing Municipal Government's AIDS-prevention education column is that preventive medicine after contact is called post-exposure prophylaxis (abbreviated PEP), and should be "started within 2 hours where possible, ideally within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours." It must also be "taken for 28 days in a row." After 72 hours starting it is no longer advised, and this is a hard time limit
- Notes
-
Where to go: the AIDS-designated medical institution named by the local Center for Disease Control (疾控中心), usually the infectious disease department (sexually transmitted disease and AIDS clinic). Many cities have set up 24-hour clinics; Chongqing's public figures are 29 clinics in 26 districts and counties, of which 14 are open around the clock. Before you go, call the local CDC to ask which one has the drugs, and don't lose time in an emergency department. Situations that count as "exposure" include sex without protection, a broken condom, a needle stick, and blood on a mucous membrane, and whether to use the drugs is for a doctor to judge. The drugs must be taken for the full 28 days, and missing several doses makes them clearly less effective. After that, follow the doctor's orders for rechecks at weeks 4 to 6 and at 3 months. The preventive drugs are only a remedy; for everyday prevention and testing see §1.30, §1.31 (use condoms every time, get tested after any high-risk behavior).
- Evidence grade
- B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
- Sources
-
- 北京市人民政府. 事前、事后分不清？六问六答全面了解艾滋病病毒暴露前/暴露后预防. https://www.beijing.gov.cn/fuwu/bmfw/jhsyfwzdzx/sjazbr/fakp/202311/t20231110_3299397.html
- 中国疾病预防控制中心性病艾滋病预防控制中心 (2020). 艾滋病病毒暴露后预防技术指南（试用）. https://www.chinacdc.cn/jkyj/crb2/yl/azb/jswj_azb/202410/t20241027_302131.html
Mentioned in
- If you are a man who has sex with men and has high-risk sex, ask a designated HIV hospital about pre-exposure prophylaxis; taken on schedule, it cuts infections by more than 70%
- Don't pay for sex: the default penalty is detention of 10 to 15 days, not just a fine
- After a sexual assault, first get to a safe place and call 110 (China's police number); before the medical exam don't shower, wash clothes or tidy the room, and go to a hospital within 72 hours
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 38. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer