NYC to distribute free portable kit with condoms, lubricant and a section for pills early next year

A 22-year-old black man, who has recently been diagnosed with HIV, went to a clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital in summer 2014, where a Demetre Daskalakis, an infectious disease specialist, attended him. The specialist would become the assistant commissioner of New York City’s HIV and AIDS prevention unit, soon.

The patient was attentive regarding his own care, and even took along a container that seems like a little oversize cosmetics compact. The container included neatly held the city-issued condoms, lubricant and his HIV medications.

Dr. Demetre told him recently that he thought that the patient was already aware of everything. He captured a photograph of the case and, sent the photograph to an industrial designer on joining the health department.

The ultimate creation is a free handy kit, including lubricant, condoms and a portion for pills, which, as per health officials, will be used by the ones at high risk for contracting HIV for carrying the preventive drug Truvada. The city will distribute the ultimate creation in the beginning of coming year.

After some time, some of the will carry Truvada, at least a starter dose of it, for the ones who have been first evaluated by a physician. The city is looking forward to associate prospective users with providers, who can aid them in making payment for the medication long term, via patient assistance programs and other means.

The move belongs to a wider initiative for the promotion of the PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is the method of using particular HIV drugs, formulated into a single pill, to avoiding getting the virus.

Though, it could look like sound, unremarkable policy, when PrEP came 3 years back it was triggered a huge controversy, partially because some of the gay community members felt it would renew abandon culture, quite easily relaxing the limits on sexual behavior that has been imposed by the era of AIDS and safe sex.