ACT UP Dublin will present a community forum about PrEP on Thursday November 10

ACT UP Dublin will be presenting a community forum about pre-exposure prophylaxis (commonly known as PrEP) for HIV on Thursday 10 November 2016 at 7pm in the Cobblestone, 77 King Street North, Dublin 7.

The event will feature  short informational talks about PrEP, followed by a substantial period of questions and commentary from members of affected communities.

Dr Paddy Mallon from UCD’s HIV Molecular Research Group will be speaking about medical and scientific aspects of PrEP, including future research that will be conducted in Ireland.

Dónal Mulligan, a lecturer in the School of Communications at DCU, will be moderating the discussion.

Availability

While PrEP is available in both the UK and the US, the drug which significantly reduces the chances of acquiring HIV is not yet available in Ireland.

PrEP is a safe and highly effective way for people who are HIV-negative to prevent HIV by taking a single pill once a day.

The pill, with the brand name Truvada, has been approved for use in HIV prevention in eight countries around the world, including the UK and the US.

How Effective Is PrEP?

When used as directed, PrEP provides nearly complete protection from HIV.

The World Health Organisation, the US Centers for Disease Control, and UNAIDS all recommend that PrEP should be available to people at substantial risk for HIV.

By facilitating this forum ACT UP Dublin hope to spark community discussion about HIV prevention and to encourage community involvement in Ireland’s HIV crisis since in 2015 more people were diagnosed with HIV in Ireland than ever before.

Irish Authorities are currently assessing whether, when, and how to make PrEP accessible in Ireland.

ACT UP Dublin is a local chapter of ACT UP, The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, an international HIV activist organisation.

ACT UP Dublin was founded in July 2016 to take action on Ireland’s HIV crisis. We seek a more urgent and effective response to HIV from government authorities and community organisations.