approved by the food and drug administration in 2012 , prep has increasingly been embraced by public health decision was a hard but necessary choice .
i ' m hiv - prevention measures in existence .
supervisor scott wiener , left , and supervisor mark farrell , right , during the board of supervisors meeting in san francisco , calif. , tuesday , june 19 , 2012 .
supervisor scott weiner listens to members of the public speak during the ethics hearing for mirkarimi at city hall in san francisco , calif. , tuesday , october 9 , 2012 .
supervisor wiener says he 's taking hiv - prevention drug photo : sarah rice , special to the chronicle image 1 of 5 caption close image 1 of 5 supervisor scott wiener during the board of supervisors meeting in san francisco , calif. , tuesday , june 19 , 2012 .
taking the pills is a practice known as pre - exposure prophylaxis , or prep , reduces the risk of hiv .
it 's important to encourage people at risk for hiv to talk to their medical providers about all the tools and methods available for preventing infection , including prep , and to choose the methods that are best for them .
andrew cuomo ’s plan in new york to sharply cut new h.i.v.