PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an HIV prevention strategy that works by interfering with the pathways that HIV uses to cause permanent infection. PrEP is taken daily by higher-risk individuals to prevent HIV. For HIV to cause infection, the virus must gain entry to the body, infect certain immune cells, replicate within those immune cells, and spread throughout the body. PrEP works by helping to prevent HIV from replicating within the body’s immune cells.It’s important to note that PrEP must be taken consistently as prescribed, otherwise there may not be enough medication in the body to reduce the risk of HIV infection. When taken consistently, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99% as well as the risk of infection from injection drug use by at least 74%.