post-exposure prophylaxis
noun
variants
also postexposure prophylaxis
plural post-exposure prophylaxes also postexposure prophylaxes
: a preventative treatment for infections or diseases (such as HIV, hepatitis, Lyme disease, or rabies) that involves administering one or more drugs to an individual after potential or confirmed exposure to a particular pathogen
Although avoiding exposure is the most effective prevention strategy, it is not always possible and post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline has been shown to be effective at decreasing the risk of developing Lyme disease following a recognized tick bite.—Allison M. Dering-Anderson and Alex J. Adams, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
—abbreviation PEP
compare pre-exposure prophylaxis
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