Ethical public health issues for the use of informal PrEP.

This article presents the phenomenon of the use of informal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), also known colloquially as 'wild PrEP'. The related ethical public health issues of the use of informal PrEP are discussed. From the approach of an ethical framework of risk reduction in public health, the main objective of this article is to encourage health-related practices and policies that do not stop the informal access to PrEP, but rather promote the wellbeing of users by providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources related to PrEP and HIV prevention (i.e. getting regularly tested for HIV if one is to take PrEP). As each country has its own policies with respect to PrEP and access to healthcare services, this article does not explore specific locations but rather highlights different global ethical key points on how to approach the use of informal PrEP with the goal of promoting HIV prevention among individuals at high risk for HIV infection.