post-exposure prophylaxis

noun

variants or less commonly 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

Traditionally, most people only get treated for sexually transmitted infections after they notice symptoms, but this new method gets out ahead of a potential infection so the body can prevent it from occurring. In medical terms, it's known as post-exposure prophylaxis …

—Scripps News

The new recommendations also include post-exposure prophylaxis for children: a single dose of doxycycline to be given after an engorged tick has been removed, especially during the summer months, to reduce the risk of Lyme disease.

—Perri Klass

—abbreviation PEP compare pre-exposure prophylaxis

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

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