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