PrEP4Teens info campaign launches

New campaign brings teens information about drug that prevents HIV — Teen participants in a PrEP4Teens mural workshop at TaskForce.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

New campaign teaches teens about drug that prevents HIV

According to AIDSVu, about 1 in 5 of all new HIV diagnoses in 2021 were among people ages 13-24, with Black youth disproportionately affected.

Teen participants in a PrEP4Teens mural workshop at TaskForce.

By Lynnea Domienik

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a medication that’s 99% effective at preventing HIV. It’s safe for all ages, if above 77 pounds, but so far PrEP has mostly been geared towards adults, with people ages 13-24 making up only a small percentage of PrEP users – while also being the group to have one of the highest rates of new cases of HIV. But a new campaign, PrEP4Teens, aims to change that.

Reset learns how this campaign is teaching young people about their health options, and working to reverse negative health outcomes for Black youth.

GUESTS: Jim Pickett, community principal investigator, PrEP4Teens

Ryder Kennedy, youth leader for PrEP4Teens

Chris Balthazar, executive director TaskForce

David Gauna, muralist and artist