Michelle, 38 years old, an excellent and loving wife who only has sex within her marriage, discovered that Aloísio, 29 years old, her neighbor’s gay son, gets medication to prevent HIV infection at the health center.

He also takes tests, gets vaccinated, gets condoms, and lubricants. It’s absurd, says Michelle, that she, so proper, has to pay for that young man’s “promiscuity.” She doesn’t know that her husband, Gerson, 43, is sleeping with him, but at least Aloísio has the decency to take care of himself and protect you, since Gerson doesn’t have much consideration, right?

Doing my part to ensure that Michelles and Gersons stop being narrow-minded, and Aloísios becomes an example, I spoke with infectious disease specialist Ricardo Kores about PrEP, one of the tools for preventing HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, which is constantly under attack by conservatives.

PrEP is a pill that contains two antiretroviral drugs: tenofovir and emtricitabine. Its effectiveness is around 90%. Used daily, it prevents the HIV virus from multiplying if the user comes into contact with it. “To have access to the medication, the person needs to undergo an evaluation with a health professional such as a doctor, nurse and pharmacist. It is available in both the public and private health networks,” says Kores.

And yes, women can take PrEP. The other day I went to the health center for an appointment with my family doctor, asked about the medication and he said that if I wanted it he could prescribe it for me. I’ll be going back there soon to start treatment!

The issue is that men who have sex with men (MSM) have historically been prioritized in studies and research on this subject because they are the group where the greatest transmission of the virus occurs. “The first studies were done with this population, which had the greatest need. There are fewer studies on the use of PrEP in women, but those that exist indicate that they can use it safely.”

There is evidence that PrEP works for MSM if used on demand – hours before and hours after risky sexual intercourse. For women, however, it must be used daily. A new injectable version of the drug, administered at intervals of two to six months and extremely effective, is already in use in some countries and has been authorized by Anvisa for use in Brazil. “We do not have a forecast for it to arrive in the SUS, but we hope it will be soon.”

PrEP critics believe that it is directly responsible for the transmission of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and HPV. The logic is that it would encourage users to stop using condoms, spreading the other infections that it does not protect against. “PrEP is an additional prevention strategy, it should be used with a condom. But many people who do not use condoms will continue not to use them, and the medication works as harm reduction.”

In addition, PrEP users take all available vaccines and are tested for STIs at short intervals, which facilitates rapid diagnosis and treatment. When was the last time you, Marcelo, 33 years old, surfer, who hates using condoms because they tighten your penis, tested yourself for syphilis? Oh! You don’t even know what syphilis is, do you?

Oh, and if you, a heterosexual man or woman, think that PrEP is only for “gays” and promiscuous people, know that the expression “men who have sex with men” includes both homosexuals and bisexuals and other orientations. It also includes the Gersons who flaunt their heterosexuality every Sunday at church.

Anyone who thinks that the SUS should not offer preventive treatment to “people who like to go around having sex” is being narrow-minded. By offering it to these people, all those who have sex with them and who have sex with those who have sex with them are protected as a consequence.

Long live PrEP and long live the SUS. Go to the health center, get vaccinated, take tests and talk to your doctor to see if this medication is right for you!