Cárdenas Promotes the Use of PrEP as a Key Method in HIV Prevention.
For six years, the municipality of Cárdenas has implemented Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as a fundamental tool in the fight against HIV, primarily targeting key populations, such as Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and transgender people.
For six years, the municipality of Cárdenas has implemented Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as a fundamental tool in the fight against HIV, primarily targeting key populations, such as Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and transgender people.
Omar Mediaceja Ibañez, a specialist at the STI/HIV Community Center and provincial coordinator of the MSM Network, highlighted the importance of this medication, which offers an effectiveness rate of over 95 percent when combined with condom use. Mediaceja emphasized that, although PrEP is highly effective, it should not replace other protective measures.
«Sometimes we think only about condoms, but there are other ways to prevent HIV, such as PrEP. However, we have had cases of people who, because they were unsure, stopped taking it and became infected,» he explained. Therefore, he insists on the need to promote a combined strategy: PrEP + condom, especially among young people and adolescents, to maximize protection.
Currently, more than 200 people in Cárdenas are using PrEP, but health authorities are working to increase that number. The municipality, which is constantly growing and receives an influx of people from other provinces, requires greater dissemination of this preventive method. «We’re not just talking about MSM; we also include sex workers, vulnerable women, and people with a history of other STIs,» said Mediaceja.
The success of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Cárdenas depends on ongoing information and equitable access. The message is clear: PrEP is a powerful tool, but its effectiveness increases when used correctly and in conjunction with other measures. Health authorities reiterate their commitment to continue expanding this treatment, with the goal of further reducing HIV cases in the region.
Writen by Yunielys Moliner Isasi.
