Available open access digitally under CC-BY licence.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a drug taken by HIV-negative people that reduces the risk of getting HIV. Comparing two case studies in Denmark and Zimbabwe, this book demonstrates six paradoxes that users often encounter in navigating their PrEP journey. These paradoxes lead to contentions, uncertainties, dilemmas and ambiguities that need to be carefully and pensively responded to through what the author terms ‘everyday PrEP negotiations’.

The social nature and need for such everyday PrEP negotiations help explain why PrEP works for some people and not for others. This book argues that such insight is critical to make PrEP work for more people and to inform social public health responses.

“Skovdal reveals the intricate dynamics between people and the HIV prevention pill, focusing on the paradox of being both healthy and a patient. Essential reading for anyone in global health and HIV prevention.” Judith D. Auerbach, University of California San Francisco
“Skovdal provides a compelling examination of the ‘paradoxes of PrEP’, highlighting that PrEP is a culturally contingent intervention that necessitates in-depth examination to ensure it reaches its full potential.” Maurice Nagington, University of Manchester

Morten Skovdal is Professor of Participatory Health Research at the University of Copenhagen.