If you may have been exposed to HIV, get the preventive medicine within 72 hours, the sooner the better

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

Cost

A 28-day course of the drugs costs over a thousand CNY, paid out of pocket in most areas. You have to make a trip to the hospital that same night. The hard part is admitting on the spot that you may have been infected, and heading out at once.

What you get

The wording from the Beijing Municipal Government's AIDS-prevention education column is that preventive medicine after contact is called post-exposure prophylaxis (abbreviated PEP), and should be "started within 2 hours where possible, ideally within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours." It must also be "taken for 28 days in a row." After 72 hours starting it is no longer advised, and this is a hard time limit. The same Beijing article also states that "taking the drugs regularly every day works better than often missing doses." The technical guideline of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention of the Chinese CDC (中国疾控艾防中心) states that missing doses and stopping the drugs on your own both lower the preventive effect. The guideline calls for a follow-up on side effects in week 2 of taking the drugs, and an HIV antibody test and a hepatitis C antibody test each at 30 days and 90 days after exposure. In 2024 the Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention published that 29 clinics in 26 districts and counties across the city can prescribe pre- and post-exposure prevention drugs, 14 of which offer 24-hour service

Notes

Where to go: the AIDS-designated medical institution named by the local Center for Disease Control (疾控中心), usually the infectious disease department (sexually transmitted disease and AIDS clinic). Some cities have already set up 24-hour clinics, such as Chongqing. Before you go, call the local CDC to ask which one has the drugs, and don't lose time in an emergency department. Situations that count as "exposure" include sex without protection, a broken condom, a needle stick, and blood on a mucous membrane, and whether to use the drugs is for a doctor to judge. The drugs must be taken for the full 28 days, and missing doses lowers the effect. After that, follow the doctor's orders for rechecks at 30 days and 90 days after exposure. The preventive drugs are only a remedy and cannot replace everyday prevention; for everyday prevention and testing see §1.30, §1.31 (use condoms every time, get tested after any high-risk behavior).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Beijing Municipal People's Government. Can't Tell Pre-Exposure From Post-Exposure? Six Questions and Answers on HIV Pre-Exposure and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis [in Chinese]. https://www.beijing.gov.cn/fuwu/bmfw/jhsyfwzdzx/sjazbr/fakp/202311/t20231110_3299397.html
2. National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Technical Guide on HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (Trial) [in Chinese]: "People taking the drugs may stop because they cannot tolerate the side effects, or miss doses for other reasons. These all reduce the preventive effectiveness of the drugs" "Doctors should follow up the person taking the drugs with HIV and HCV antibody tests at 30 days and 90 days after exposure". https://www.chinacdc.cn/jkyj/crb2/yl/azb/jswj_azb/202410/t20241027_302131.html
3. Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Guideline for Standardizing 24-Hour Outpatient Clinics for HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Released in Chongqing; Several Hospitals Now Offer Round-the-Clock Service [in Chinese]: "The number of institutions in Chongqing currently providing HIV pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis drug services has grown to 29 outpatient clinics in 26 districts and counties" "The number of clinics able to provide 24-hour round-the-clock service has reached 14". https://www.cqcdc.org/index.php?a=shows&catid=2270&id=3045

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 38. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer