Pre- and post-sexual exposure prophylaxis of HIV: An update.

Pitfalls in current HIV prevention strategies include late HIV testing, vulnerability among youth and females; lack of emphasis on treatment, low acceptance of circumcision, and nonavailability of protective vaccines. Continuing high-risk sexual behavior, forceful sex, coercive and nonconsensual sex, rape, and unprotected sexual activities make women the most vulnerable to acquisition of sexually transmitted infection/HIV and necessitates a more radical approach of prevention in high-risk individuals who do not have HIV. Preexposure prophylaxis is defined as the administration of antiretroviral drugs to an uninfected person before potential HIV exposure to reduce the risk of infection and continued during risk. The rationale of this approach is to administer preventive dose of drug(s) before exposure to HIV so the moment virus enters the body, HIV replication is inhibited and HIV is not able to establish permanent infection. Postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) following potential sexual exposure is an important form of nonoccupational PEP which is an emergency intervention to abort HIV acquisition arising from exposure to HIV-infected blood or potentially infectious bodily fluids following sexual exposure.

Erythema elevatum diutinum in acquired immune deficiency syndrome: Can it be an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome?

A 47-year-old male with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) presented with multiple hyperpigmented papules and nodules on both ankles, dorsum of bilateral feet and soles. It was associated with mild itching and pain. The patient was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2007. First-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) was started in 2009 to which he responded initially. He was shifted to second-line ART 11 months ago in March 2015 due to treatment failure as suggested by CD4 count of 50 cells/mm(3). The present skin lesions started 2 months after the initiation of second-line ART. Differential diagnoses considered were Kaposi's sarcoma and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) related infections, but biopsy was suggestive of erythema elevatum diutinum (EED). Patient was started on oral dapsone 100 mg/day and increased to 200 mg/day to which he is responding gradually. In the present case, appearance of the lesions after initiation of second-line ART coupled with increase in CD4 count and decrease of viral load below undetectable level suggest that EED could be an IRIS.