Can you get HIV from someone who is undetectable?
The agency has adopted the widely accepted position that an HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus through unprotected sex. If you can’t detect it, you can’t transmit it. Federal officials are finally on board with that message when it comes to HIV.
How do we define “undetectable” in HIV prevention?
What is an undetectable viral load?
- Taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) reduces the amount of HIV in your body.
- With proper adherence, ART can reduce HIV to such low levels that the virus can no longer be detected in normal blood tests. ...
- People with undetectable viral loads can’t pass HIV on through sex.
What is considered HIV Undetectable?
Undetectable viral load. When copies of HIV cannot be detected by standard viral load tests, an HIV-positive person is said to have an “undetectable viral load.”. For most tests used clinically today, this means fewer than 50 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood (<50 copies/mL). Reaching an undetectable viral load is a key goal of ART.
Does undetectable mean that someone is not infectious?
Having an undetectable viral load does mean that there is not enough HIV in your body fluids to pass HIV on during sex. In other words, you are not infectious. For as long as your viral load stays undetectable, your chance of passing on HIV to a sexual partner is zero. As the campaign slogan puts it, 'Undetectable equals Untransmittable' or 'U=U'.
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Can you still spread HIV if your undetectable?
If you take HIV medicine and get and keep an undetectable viral load, you have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.
Is Undetectable the same as negative?
Being HIV positive and having an undetectable viral load would be considered the same thing as being HIV negative. Instead, we would frown upon those who don't know their status. Being HIV positive and having an undetectable viral load would be accepted, especially within the gay community.
Is Undetectable the same as positive?
If you're undetectable, you will still test positive for HIV. This is expected, and doesn't mean that your treatment is not working. Every year, San Francisco AIDS Foundation conducts more than 15,000 HIV tests.
What does it mean if your HIV is undetectable?
Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) It means that when a person living with HIV is on regular treatment that lowers the amount of virus in their body to undetectable levels, there is zero risk of passing on HIV to their partners. The low level of virus is described as an undetectable viral load.
Should I take PrEP if my partner is undetectable?
It is important to understand that just because a person's viral load is undetectable does not mean that you should throw caution to the wind. While you are at low risk for HIV if your partner is undetectable, you should take it if PrEP makes you feel safer or if there's a chance you might have other sexual partners.
How long can you stay undetectable?
Patients Can Remain Undetectable for 20 years on HIV Therapy. In this study, researchers looked to see if treatment-naive patients achieved <50 copies/ml and sustained good adherence how long could they maintain undetectable viral load -- would regimens have intrinsic ability to sustain viral load.
What it means to be undetectable?
“Undetectable” describes when the copies of HIV in a person's blood is so low that it does not show up on a lab test. The test measures a person's “viral load.” “Untransmittable” means that a person living with HIV has virtually no chance of transmitting the HIV virus to someone else through sexual contact.
Why is it important to discuss undetectable status?
A person discussing their undetectable status is a beautiful thing because it means that they have been tested, are on treatment and are open and honest about their HIV status. The idea that the term “undetectable” is only used to lure unsuspecting prey into performing high-risk sexual acts with someone who is HIV-positive is both stigmatizing ...
What is the undetectable viral load?
A level of a person’ s HIV viral load is what causes them to be more or less likely to transmit the disease. An undetectable viral load reduces the likelihood of transmission by 96 percent. Once a person achieves an undetectable status, it is possible to remain at this level provided that the person is compliant with their ART medication.
What happens if no one asks about HIV?
If no one asks about a person’s HIV status, no one tells. Worse, a person will assert their HIV-negative status even if it’s been months, or even years, since their last HIV test. Yet these proverbial question marks walk around each day, unscathed by denunciations associated with their bedtime behavior.
Should gay men read HIV?
An education on the specifics of HIV as it is today, including the meaning of being undetectable, should be mandatory reading for gay men, regardless of HIV status. It is critical that the entire community understand where we are in terms of HIV research.
How long does it take for HIV to be undetectable?
Once you have been undetectable for six months , you will not be able to sexually transmit HIV as long as you take your antiretroviral medicines and keep your viral load undetectable.
How to protect yourself from HIV?
If you are unsure about whether your partner is undetectable, take steps to protect yourself from HIV, such as using condoms or taking daily PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). You should never feel pressured to have sex without condoms.
How long can you not transmit HIV through sex?
In August 2016, the New York City (NYC) Health Department agreed with other public health and medical organizations that people with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load for at least six months do not transmit HIV through sex. In September 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health (PDF) ...
What is a positive HIV test?
Get an HIV test. A positive test is an opportunity to treat HIV, stay healthy and prevent HIV transmission. A negative test gives you the chance to discuss ways to stay negative, like using condoms, taking daily PrEP or taking emergency PEP. Get tested regularly for other STIs.
Do HIV drugs help with HIV?
They do not cure HIV infection or remove the virus from the body, but if taken every day, as prescribed, HIV medicines stop the virus from multiplying. This prevents the virus from damaging the immune system and stops sexual transmission to others.
Can STIs increase HIV?
Get tested regularly for other STIs. STIs may not show symptoms , but they can increase an HIV-positive person's viral load, or make it easier for the virus to enter an HIV-negative person's body.
Can HIV be taken with PrEP?
HIV-negative partners may choose to take PrEP, especially if they have other sexual partners ; are unsure of their partner's viral load or their partner's ability to keep their viral load undetectable; or feel more secure in their sex lives with the added protection of PrEP.
Why is HIV undetectable?
In HIV treatment and prevention, we oftentimes use the term “undetectable” as a way to measure the success of a person’s HIV treatment. People who get and stay undetectable not only improve their health, but eliminate the possibility of transmitting HIV to others.
What does it mean when a virus is undetectable?
In the simplest definition of undetectable, the amount of virus in a person’s blood is so low that it can’t be measured by the viral load test being used. In this sense, the dividing line between who is undetectable—and who is not—depends on the lower threshold of the viral load test used.
Can you transmit HIV to your partner?
People who are durably suppressed do not transmit HIV to partners. The longer you take HIV medications, the lower your viral load will get, diminishing the level of virus in the bloodstream and reservoir sites. (Reservoir sites are where inactive virus “hides” from the immune system.)
WHAT
In recent years, an overwhelming body of clinical evidence has firmly established the HIV Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) concept as scientifically sound, say officials from the National Institutes of Health.
ARTICLE
RW Eisinger, CW Dieffenbach, AS Fauci. HIV viral load and transmissibility of HIV infection: undetectable equals untransmittable. Journal of the American Medical Association DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.21167 (2019).
How long does it take for HIV to be undetectable?
A person is considered to have a “durably undetectable” viral load if their viral load remains undetectable for at least six months after their first undetectable test result.
How does antiretroviral treatment help HIV?
Taking antiretroviral treatment daily as directed to achieve and maintain durably undetectable status stops HIV infection from progressing, helping people living with HIV stay healthy and live longer, while offering the benefit of preventing sexual transmission.
How long does it take for HIV to transmit?
There is effectively no risk of sexual transmission of HIV when the partner living with HIV has achieved an undetectable viral load and then maintained it for at least six months. Most people living with HIV who start taking antiretroviral therapy daily as prescribed achieve an undetectable viral load within one to six months after beginning treatment.
Why is staying on treatment important?
Staying on treatment is crucial to keep the virus suppressed. NIAID-supported research has demonstrated that achieving and maintaining a “durably undetectable” viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood) not only preserves the health of the person living with HIV, but also prevents sexual transmission of the virus to an HIV-negative partner.
What is PREP in HIV?
Research shows that adhering to treatment often can improve with support from loving relationships and from the community. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), in which an HIV-negative person takes antiretroviral medication to prevent infection, can be part of the conversation. Learn more about PrEP.
Does HIV prevent STIs?
Neither HIV treatment nor PrEP prevents other sexually transmitted infections, or STIs. Ways to reduce the risk of STIs include having both partners tested, limiting the number of sexual partners and using condoms. Vaccines are available to prevent some STIs, including hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Can antiretroviral drugs reduce HIV?
Development of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV has turned what was once an almost always fatal infection into a manageable chronic condition. Daily antiretroviral therapy can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to levels that are undetectable with standard tests.
