Student Welfare of the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), in partnership with Dr. Fabio Dario Otero Arteaga, UIS doctor, specialist in Family Medicine and Master in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), conducted an informative talk on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other methods of prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STI).
During the lecture, the expert explained what HIV pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis consists of, highlighting the importance of these treatments to reduce the risk of transmission.
“The objective is to educate students on how to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. PrEP is a program that allows patients to be monitored through preventive treatment with antiretroviral drugs, which have proven highly effective in reducing new cases,” explained Otero Arteaga.
With these talks, the aim is for the population to learn about this issue and to go to their Health Promoting Entity (EPS), in case they need it. “It has been shown that in recent years this program has led to a decrease in the incidence of HIV. In Colombia we have recently started this therapy and we have high goals to achieve, hence the importance of these massification meetings”, added Otero Arteaga.
The attendees valued the activity positively, as it allowed them to clear up doubts, debunk myths and access reliable information on the subject. “It was a very enriching talk, especially because we live in a context where STIs are a latent risk. We learned not only about how PrEP works, but also about how to access these drugs,” said Hernando Arias, a Philosophy student.
Likewise, the importance of having specialists in these conferences was highlighted. “It is very different to do research on the Internet than to receive information from an expert. The doctor answered all our questions in a clear and didactic way”, commented María Martínez, Chemical Engineering student.
Finally, it was emphasized that the administration of pre-exposure prophylaxis should be supervised by a health professional, avoiding self-medication and promoting responsible access to these preventive treatments.
