Employers: Don’t stay in the dark about HIV prevention 

It’s one of the great medical success stories of our time. Yet most people — including business leaders — aren’t aware of how effective testing and medication are at preventing the spread of HIV. 

Scientific advancements over the past 40 years have brought the goal of ending HIV within reach. Testing and medication are the tools that will get us there — but it will take education as well. Most new HIV cases (80 percent) are transmitted by people who are not aware they have HIV or are not receiving any HIV care. 

Getting tested for HIV is an important first step in protecting yourself and others. Rapid, non-intrusive HIV tests can be done without needles, and results are available within 20 minutes or less. For workers who prefer to self-test at home, the collaborative health program Together TakeMeHome provides up to two free HIV self-tests every 90 days to anyone in the US ages 17 or older. 

Medicines for people without HIV, called PrEP and PEP, can reduce a person's chance of getting HIV when taken as prescribed.

• PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a medication for people who do not have HIV that can reduce the chance of getting HIV. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV. PrEP is available either as a daily pill or a long-acting injectable given by a healthcare provider. In most states, PrEP requires a prescription.
• PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is for emergency use. People who may have been exposed to HIV must start PEP withing 72 hours. PEP may help the body’s immune system stop the virus from being copied in the infected cells of the body. PEP is effective in preventing HIV after exposure, but not 100%.

For people with HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress the virus to undetectable levels and nearly reduce the risk of transmission. Treatment adherence is key to staying healthy and preventing the spread of HIV. This includes starting ART as soon as possible after diagnosis, keeping all medical appointments, and taking ART every day as prescribed. Individuals that achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have almost zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners (undetectable = untransmittable).

Employers can play a pivotal role in preventing the spread of HIV by educating your workforce about testing and prevention options, providing comprehensive insurance coverage and benefits, and making it easier for workers to access HIV services.

If you are interested in learning more and need help getting started, check out the suite of free resources on the Health Action Alliance website. We’d love to have you join Mercer and the greater community of companies committed to ending the HIV epidemic. Together, we’ll learn, innovate and collaborate to achieve the greatest impact. Find out more at healthaction.org/endhiv.