Four years later: Do South Africans know what pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV is?

HIV incidence remains high among South Africans, with low uptake of preventative measures such as condom use. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which protects HIV-negative individuals from infection, was first introduced in SA in 2016. This study determined the knowledge of PrEP among university students (n = 282) and primary health care clinic users (n = 358) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey. The study population was at high-risk of HIV infection, with early age of sexual debut, multiple concurrent sexual partners and inconsistent condom usage. Only 12.3% (n = 79) stated that they had a full understanding of PrEP, which was higher among university students (9.8%; n = 63) than clinic users (2.5%; n = 16; p < 0.001). Specific PrEP knowledge was, however, low. Health Science students did not have a better knowledge than students from other faculties. Neither did users of clinics offering PrEP have a better knowledge than users of clinics not offering PrEP. Moreover, few participants (15%; n = 96) were aware of the availability of PrEP at their local clinic. Interventions to address the low level of PrEP knowledge within the population are required, to reduce the high HIV incidence.