Do you need people to become infected to demonstrate whether PrEP helps to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection?
Study personnel are committed to helping volunteers reduce their risk of HIV infection. Some persons will learn to protect themselves with intensive counseling, but some will not — which is why we look for new prevention methods such as PrEP or a vaccine. If infections are lower in the group that received tenofovir/emtricitabine, it may mean that tenofovir/emtricitabine is effective as a PrEP intervention. If the rate of new infections is low in both groups, very valuable information will have been gained about ways to provide counseling that effectively reduce HIV risk. The large size of the prevention studies helps assure that some information will be learned even if the great majority of people learn to protect themselves.
