The evidence for U=U – selected key studies from 20 years of accumulating evidence

13 September 2017. Related: News.

Published ahead-of-print for HTB, this article summarises selected key studies from 20 years of accumulating evidence that should directly challenge the prejudice and fear of HIV that is still widespread:

The evidence for U=U: why negligible risk is zero risk

Over the last year, hundreds of HIV organisations have joined a new campaign to endorse the statement that HIV sexual transmission does not occur when viral load is undetectable on ART.

And while the dramatic impact of ART on reducing HIV transmission has been known for a long time, it is new to say ART stops sexual transmission completely.

This change is especially important given that prejudice and discrimination against HIV positive people is still widespread. So while it is easy to simply answer “no” to the question of whether someone with an undetectable viral load is still infectious, it is more complicated to explain why.