#WAD19
Want to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when you have sex? Here are the various prevention tools – PrEP, PEP, TasP, condom, femidom, oral dam, vaccines – they become superheroes and superheroines which with their specific powers reduce our vulnerability to various sexually transmitted infections. Each person can choose their own superpower., of one's own superhero or superheroine: because today the effective prevention of STIs in sex is "combined", each need for pleasure and prevention corresponds to the most appropriate and sustainable tool on a personal level. If from HIV Indeed We are increasingly protecting ourselves effectively thanks to new pharmacological strategies represented by Miss PrEP (drug use by people who do not have HIV) and Miss TasP (the reduction to zero of one's infectivity by those who have HIV), which are added to the old Miss PEP (emergency therapy after a concrete HIV risk), there are other superheroes who, unlike the previous ones, They also work against other infections viral other than HIV (Hepatitis, HPV and Herpes) or bacterial such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. If we all know Mister Condom, much less is known about Super Femidom which can intervene equally effectively in penetrative or anal intercourse Captain Dam which can occur in oral sex where the anus or vagina are licked. And finally there is Captain Vax, the vaccination strategy that acts as a barrier against HAV and HBV responsible for hepatitis A and B and, with due distinctions, against HPV responsible for condylomas and cancerous conditions.
Miss PrEP, consists of taking medicines to prevent an infection. In the case of HIV, this involves taking medication Before of sexual intercourse and/or risky behavior. PrEP, which stands for "Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis," is used by people without HIV to prevent HIV infection. It combines two medications—Tenofovir DF and Emtricitabine—in a single tablet. PrEP must be prescribed by an infectious disease specialist, after thorough testing, and can be taken in two ways: daily (every day) or on demand. If taken correctly, maintaining adequate levels of the drug in the blood, it acts as a sort of barrier against HIV. But be careful: it only works against HIV!
Miss TasP It is the strategy that renders people with HIV non-infectious by reducing their virus levels to undetectable levels with the use of therapy: people with HIV who are correctly taking antiretroviral therapy and have stably suppressed viremia do NOT transmit the virus. TasP stands for Treatment as Prevention, and it is a highly effective strategy, as certified by numerous studies and reiterated by the recent Italian Consensus Conference on Undetectable=Untransmittable, in which Arcigay also participated. People with HIV on therapy are typically advised to have their virus levels checked every 4-6 months: according to the Consensus Conference, if the person does not interrupt therapy for prolonged periods of several days and their virus levels at checkups are below 200 copies, the risk of transmitting HIV is zero.
Miss PEP It occurs after a concrete HIV-risk event involving an HIV-positive person who is not undergoing treatment or whose serological status is unknown. PEP stands for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis. It is especially indicated for penetrative sex in which no other preventive measures have been used or in which the condom has broken. It is effectively a complete antiretroviral therapy, similar to that taken by a person with HIV, and should be taken for approximately one month. To be effective, it must be started immediately after the risky intercourse and in any case within 48 hours. The longer the time that passes after the risky intercourse, the less effective Miss PEP is: maximum effectiveness is achieved within four hours of the risky intercourse. Requests can be made at an infectious disease service or the emergency room, describing the reasons for requesting it and the dynamics of the risk incurred.
Mister Condom, is the best-known and most classic of the heroes. Both in penetrative sex and oral sex, where the penis is covered with Mister Condom, it effectively protects against HIV, hepatitis caused by HCV and HBV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and, in some cases, HSV (genital herpes), HPV (human papillomavirus and condylomas), and syphilis. To effectively protect against gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, it must also be used during oral sex, as these are frequently transmitted through the oral route. However, protection against HSV, HPV, and syphilis depends on the location of these infections: if, as can happen, the symptoms of herpes, papilloma (condylomas), or syphilis (chancres and spots) occur in areas not protected by the condom, contact with those areas is still infectious.
Super Femidom It's little known, but it's just as effective and durable as Mister Condom. It's a sort of "inverted" condom that's inserted into the vagina or anus and protects against all infections spread by contact between the internal mucous membranes and the penis during anal or vaginal penetration. Like Mister Condom, its protection is limited or absent when the signs of infection are outside the area covered by Femidom. By leaving the penis "free," it has the advantage of reducing erection problems sometimes related to reduced sensitivity with condom use or other psychological reasons, and does not, conversely, reduce sensitivity for the person receiving penetration. Furthermore, it has the advantage of giving the recipient the "power" over whether or not to use the condom, and it's made of a more durable material than that used for common condoms. It's inserted into the vagina with a rubber ring at the base of the Femidom, while it's inserted into the anus after removing the ring.
Captain Dam, Captain Dam, also known as Ora Dam, is a type of latex wipe used as a barrier between the mouth and the anus or vagina when licking, and is effective in preventing oral, vaginal, or anal infections. Captain Dam is easy to use, but should only be used on one side and only on one part of the body (to avoid spreading any infection from one mucosa to another) for each oral dam used. Captain Dam is often flavored and scented. Since it's a small sheet that potentially covers a large area, it can also protect against infections whose manifestations may be outside the restricted area of the mucosa. If you don't have a special oral dam, you can use a condom by cutting it lengthwise.
Captain Vax This is the classic vaccination strategy. Unfortunately, there are only vaccines for HAV (hepatitis A), HBV (hepatitis B), and HPV (human papillomavirus). While the effectiveness of the HAV and HBV vaccines is valid at any point in life, the HPV vaccine is a little different. To be most effective, the HPV vaccine should be administered before exposure to the virus, therefore as soon as possible after the start of an active sexual life, because it has no therapeutic efficacy and HPV infection is very common. However, since there are different types of HPV (over 130), vaccinating even after the start of one's sexual life could be useful, given that, if one has already been infected with only some types of HPV, one may still be susceptible to other types of HPV. HPV vaccines are bivalent (two types of HPV), tetravalent (four types of HPV), or nonavalent (nine types of HPV). The latter two both protect against types 16 and 18, which cause more than 70% of all cervical cancers, and types 6 and 11, which cause more than 90% of anogenital warts.
