HIV Prevention Knowledge Base
Biomedical Interventions
Biomedical HIV prevention strategies use medical and public health approaches to block infection, decrease infectiousness, and reduce susceptibility.
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Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
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Antiretroviral Therapy as an HIV Prevention Strategy
Antiretroviral therapy (ART), generally used to improve the health of the person being treated, can also serve as a preventive strategy by reducing viral load, which lowers the risk of transmitting HIV to a sex partner or needle-sharing partner.
Updated November 2010
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Blood Safety and Availability
Inadequate and unsafe blood supply causes avoidable deaths and transmits infectious diseases, including HIV. Preventing transfusion of unsafe blood through improved screening of donors and testing processes, and increasing participation of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors can significantly reduce the spread of HIV.
Updated February 2011
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Contraception to Prevent Unintended Pregnancies among Women with HIV
Providing contraception to women with HIV who wish to postpone or avoid pregnancy can prevent vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child.
Updated: September 2010
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Infant Feeding for Mothers Living with HIV
HIV can be transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnancy or delivery. When a mother is HIV infected, her baby can also be infected through breastfeeding.
Updated: August 2010
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Injection Safety
Addressing injection safety helps prevent the medical transmission of HIV and other bloodborne pathogens to patients and health care workers.
Updated March 2011
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Microbicides
Microbicides are products formulated for individuals to apply topically (vaginally or rectally) to reduce their risk of HIV and possibly other sexually transmitted infections.
Updated: April 2011
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Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
Antiretroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—short-term antiretroviral therapy initiated soon after known or suspected exposure to HIV—aims to prevent the establishment of HIV infection in an exposed person.
Updated November 2010
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Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) refers to the use of antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV infection prior to exposure. Encouraging results of animal studies have increased hopes that this experimental approach can become a tool for prevention. PrEP could be particularly useful for women who are unable to negotiate safer sex and for uninfected partners in serodiscordant relationships.
Updated: December 2009
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Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT)
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT; also known as prevention of vertical transmission) refers to interventions to prevent transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her infant during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or following childbirth during breastfeeding.
Updated: October 2010
