Otherwise known as “Can’t Pass It On”, it is now a fact that a person living with HIV who has an undetectable viral load will not pass HIV on to their sexual partners.
Undetectable is the term used when a person’s viral load (how much virus there is in the blood) is so low that the machines they use in the lab to measure it cannot detect the virus. This is achieved by the person living with HIV continuing to take their medication. The medication is called Antiretroviral Treatment or ART.
There have been three major studies to provide the scientific evidence for us to be able to say this: the Partner 1 Study, Partner 2 Study and 2017’s Opposites Attract Study. These studies looked at the risk of transmission of HIV between couples where one partner was HIV positive on effective treatment and the other was HIV Negative.
In these three studies combined, there were a total of about 126,000 occasions of condomless sex between these partners with no linked transmissions.
In July 2017, British HIV Association Chair Professor Chloe Orkin said:
As the UK’s leading voice for HIV health professionals, our backing for U=U is unequivocal. There should be no doubt about the clear and simple message that a person with sustained, undetectable levels of HIV virus in their blood cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
Undetectable HIV Poses ‘Zero Risk’ of Sexual Transmission, says 2023 guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO):
People living with HIV who achieve an undetectable level of the virus by consistent use of antiretroviral therapy do not transmit HIV to their sexual partner.
Bruce Richman, renowned activist and founding Executive Director of the Prevention Access Campaign, the organisation that kickstarted the U=U Campaign, lets us know why U=U is so important:
Matt is part of the Campaigns Team, a Peer Facilitator and Positive Speaker at Brigstowe, and a powerful activist in the community. This is what U=U means to him:
Brigstowe Trustee Sheila tells you what U=U means to her:
Trans Icon, drag superstar and activist Asifa Lahore lets us know what U=U means to them:
For more videos on what U=U means to a wide range of individuals, please visit here.