Drop in HIV cases as controversial PrEP prophylactic drug spreads

A new data shows that new cases of HIV among gay and bisexual men have been slashed by 21 per cent in juts a year.

According to the research, this is the first time that cases in the high-risk group have decreased since the epidemic started making headways around the world in the 1980s.

According to experts, quicker testing and faster treatment coupled with the use of PrEP, a controversial drug that can prevent those exposed to HIV from getting infected can be the root cause of it.

According to government figures in the UK, there were just 2,810 cases of HIV among gay and bisexual men in 2016 - down from the 3,570 recorded the year before.

The study further finds that PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis is 92 per cent effective at preventing HIV as long as the pills are taken every day.

Named Truvada, they work by blocking an enzyme that would otherwise allow HIV to make copies of itself and spread all over the body.

Gay and bisexual men are most susceptible to catching HIV because anal intercourse carries 10 times the greater risk of infection than vaginal sex.

This is due to cells in the anus being more susceptible to HIV, as well as fluid in semen and the anus' lining carrying more HIV than vaginal secretions.