TY - JOUR T1 - Pre-exposure prophylaxis and primary care JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 409 LP - 410 DO - 10.3399/bjgp20X712097 VL - 70 IS - 697 AU - Des Crowley AU - Walter Cullen AU - Patrick O’Donnell Y1 - 2020/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/70/697/409.abstract N2 - Despite the increasing evidence of the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as a HIV prevention strategy, its usefulness is rarely reported in the general practice literature.1HIV infection remains a major public health concern worldwide and it is men who have sex with men (MSM) that carry a disproportionate amount of the disease burden.2 Despite evidence that the rate of new HIV infections in the UK is falling, the rate among young MSM is a cause for concern.2 The Republic of Ireland (ROI) has not seen a similar decline, with 523 new HIV cases diagnosed in Ireland in 2018.3 Similar to other European countries, the main risk for HIV transmission in Ireland is sex among men.2,3With the recent introduction of legislation allowing same sex marriage in both the UK and Ireland, there is increasing acceptance of LGBT people; however, many LGBT people continue to experience stigma and discrimination.4It is recognised that LGBT people experience inequalities across a range of health issues when compared to heterosexuals; including higher levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and drug dependence.4 Minority stress may explain some of these identified disparities,5 and this theory has also been proposed as an explanation for the high levels of risk-taking behaviour seen in MSM populations.5 Marginalisation and stigma are certainly recognised as factors that contribute to people engaging in risky behaviour.5A wide range … ER -