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Gay men warned stock up on HIV prevention medication as half a million LGBTQI partygoers prepare to descend on Sydney for WorldPride festival
Gay and bisexual men warned to stock up on anti-HIV pills
PrEP tablets taken daily reduce the chance of catching HIV
Warning comes before February's WorldPride Sydney festival
The world's biggest celebration of LGBTQI lifestyles is coming to Australia next month and revellers are being urged to stay safe by ensuring they have an adequate supply of HIV prevention medication.
The WorldPride festival will run from February 17 to March 5 featuring hundreds of events with organisers expecting about 500,000 partygoers to attend the celebrations.
But sexual health clinics are warning anyone who takes pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to make sure they get their prescriptions filled before the event gets underway.
Matthew Vaughan, director of HIV and Sexual Health at ACON, said the influx in tourists is likely to increase demand for the drug so it's best to be prepared.
However he added that he doesn't not expect a shortage of the vital medicine Australia has become a world leader in.
Festival-goers have also been encouraged to also book in for an mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – vaccine if eligible.
'This is the first time that WorldPride has been held in the southern hemisphere and when we think about the countries in our region, many still criminalise homosexuality and do not have access to HIV testing or PrEP,' Mr Vaughan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11637309/WorldPride-Festival-Sydney-Warning-gay-men-stock-anti-HIV-pills-PrEP.html
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