What is Post Exposure Prophylaxis

Advice and assistance from Cohen Cramer

If you have had a needlestick injury you may have been prescribed a course of Post Exposure Prophylaxis; don’t worry, contrary to popular myth, it does not mean that you are a high risk for HIV. PEP is given as a precaution when there is any possibility that the person who used the needle (the “needle donor”), was a carrier of the HIV virus.

In the case of infection, Post Exposure Prophylaxis is a course of anti-retroviral drugs intended to reduce the risk of seroconversion after accidents such as a needle stick injury where there is high risk of exposure to HIV.

Any course of PEP should begin as soon as possible after the accident and within 72 hours maximum; after this time the effectiveness is greatly reduced.

A course of PEP will last about four weeks and you may experience some pretty unpleasant side-effects such as nausea, diarrhoea and tiredness.  The symptoms should ease off after about seven days. If you have extreme symptoms then go and see the medical people who prescribed you the PEP.

If you receive a needle stick injury and are prescribed PEP you may want to consider bringing a claim against the insurers of whoever was responsible for your injury, stress and worry.

You can claim for:

  • your injury; both physical and mental
  • lost income as a result of time off work for recovery or treatment
  • any help you may have needed from family and friends if you were ill
  • other losses arising from the incident

We are experts at helping people like you get the maximum compensation you deserve.

We can deal with your claim on a ‘No Win-No Fee’ basis so if your claim fails it won’t cost you a penny for the work we have done on your behalf.

Begin your claim today; contact me, Mike Massen, for a no obligation chat to see what we can do to help you:

  • call: 0113 224 7830 (24 hour)
  • email:enquiry@cohencramerpi.co.uk
  • Pop your contact details in the form at the bottom of this page and we will get straight back to you.

For the Quality Legal Service You Deserve.