How does PrEP affect AIDS epidemic?
There is a drug called PrEP that is being used by people to prevent HIV, the virus for causing the deadly AIDS epidemic. PrEP has a high success rate in preventing HIV infections at over ninety percent. However this drug is not as popular as condom, the most common way to prevent sexually transmitted infections. Condom has a ninety-eight percent chance to prevent HIV, which is more certain to prevent infection than PrEP. There is a stigma to taking pills to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, similar to the stigma of birth pills when birth pills first came out. However some people who are using the drug enjoy its benefits.
This is related to the class topic of epidemics. Epidemics can be mitigated by reducing the number of people infected people come in contact with or reducing the probability of the disease spreading when infected person comes into contact with a healthy person. PrEP is attempting, or at least attempting to attack, the probability of the disease spreading when infected people comes into contact with healthy people. But if PrEP is not as effective as condoms, people will argue against PrEP. Indeed, there is argument in the article that condom should be used. But for people who refuse to use condoms, PrEP is a way to lower the probability of contracting HIV during sex, which will help weaken the epidemic.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/01/health/truvada-prep-hiv-prevention-debate/