Glossary

This is a page for key terms related to PrEP, HIV, risk, etc.,. Where possible, I'll try to link to references for the definitions I provide here (you can always find additional references and information in the Resources tab). If you're still having trouble understanding a word, or you have a suggestion for an important term that isn't included yet, feel free to post in the comments below.



Adherence - How consistently a person takes their doctor-prescribed medications on time (for HIV medications, usually +/- 2 hours of the typical dosing time). Adherence to a Truvada regimen for PrEP or PEP is necessary for proper protection/risk reduction.


AIDS - Auto-Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This term is rapidly becoming outdated, but is meant to indicate that the HIV virus in an infected person has progressed to a point where it's severely affecting their immune system and thus their health.


ART/HAART - Antiretroviral Therapy/Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. A drug (or more commonly a combination of drugs) designed to restrict the replication and/or operation of a retrovirus, such as HIV.


HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus. For more information on this topic, look here and here.


PEP - Post-Exposure Prophylaxis. This describes situations where a person has a high-risk event (their potential exposure to HIV from a recent contact was unknown or extreme), and is prescribed a temporary regimen of Truvada in order to head off infection before it can take hold. Current guidelines require that Truvada for PEP be prescribed within 72 hours of a high-risk event.

An analogy for PEP might be the morning-after pill - a one-time solution for a single event.


PrEP - Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. A medium- to long-term prescription for Truvada, taken daily, to prevent HIV infection in HIV- individuals. 

An analogy for PrEP might be hormonal birth control - a daily pill for general prevention.


Prevention/Risk Reduction - Any effective method or combination of methods employed by a sexually active person to reduce the risk of HIV/STI infection. This can include condoms, PrEP, even changing types of intimate contact.


Risk - The likelihood of exposure to HIV and other STI's from various activities.


Serodiscordant - This term describes two people (generally sexual or committed partners) who are of opposite HIV status.


Sero-discrimination - Publicly refusing to engage in sexual or intimate contact with people of the opposite HIV status. Although this can appear to be risk-reduction (and certainly all people are free to choose with whom they sleep), but the public aspect of this type of sero-sorting frequently manifests as HIV-shaming/status-shaming.


Sero-sorting - Selecting one's sexual partners based on HIV status.


TasP - Treatment as Prevention. A method of preventing HIV transmission; an HIV-positive person who is consistently adherent to their ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) and maintains an undetectable viral load drastically reduces their risk of transmission, even during unprotected sex.


Truvada - A combination of two anti-retroviral medications (Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine), that has been approved by the FDA and several international boards for the prevention and treatment of HIV infection.