Brief Report: Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent Rapid HIV Transmission Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Counties in the United States: A Modeling Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite recent HIV outbreaks among people who inject drugs (PWID) in nonurban US settings, syringe service programs (SSP) are often inaccessible in these communities. Furthermore, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness and coverage for PWID is limited. We aimed to model the impact of PrEP on HIV transmission among PWID in a rural setting.

Setting

Using a calibrated agent-based model, we simulated HIV transmission in an adult population (n = 14,573 agents) in Scott County, Indiana between 2015 and 2024.

Methods

We modeled PrEP eligibility according to CDC guidelines for PWID. PrEP coverage increased by 15% points in the range 10%-70%. Two counterfactual scenarios were modeled: Unrestricted access for PWID and PrEP for SSP attendees . We calculated the num

SUBMITTER: Jacka BP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9649854 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature