Question
My partner has an undetectable viral load?
15 September 2014. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, HIV transmission, PEP/PEPSE.
I am gay and my partner is HIV positive, with an ‘undetectable’ viral load, on treatment. We have unprotected sex as I was told the risks involved are minimal or almost none according to recent trials.
He restarted smoking and I am concerned whether this might increase the risk of me becoming infected. Am I right of being concerned?
Answer
Hi
This service is mainly about HIV treatment. Please see this guide for information about HIV transmission:
https://i-base.info/guides/testing
In addition to condoms being very effective, two new aspects of research also are producing exciting results. One is that if your partner has an undetectable viral load, they are much less infectious.
https://i-base.info/guides/starting/treatment-as-prevention-tasp
The other involves the negative partner taking a daily HIV pill called PrEP.
https://i-base.info/pep-and-prep
This means there are many ways to reduce the risk of transmission, but you have to decide which you are happy with.
The only way that your partner smoking would affect your risk, would be if this causes him to miss doses of his medication. The benefit of undetectable viral load depends on not missing doses of HIV treatment.