Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an HIV prevention method. It is taken by people who are HIV negative, so that if they are unknowingly exposed to HIV, the drug will prevent the virus from infecting them.
The development of this method is important for South Africa because the country is the epicentre of the HIV pandemic. Around 7.5 million people in South Africa live with HIV – about a fifth of the global population of people living with HIV.
