Here in the "How Can I Prevent HIV?" Forum, you will be able to ask questions about safer sex, condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other prevention tools.
Please, before posting your question(s) take your time to read the information & posting rules for the "How Can I Prevent HIV?" found in the Welcome Thread (https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=56561.0)
Treatment as prevention
(TasP)
Undetectable = Untransmittable
(U=U)
Antiretroviral medications (ARVs) are primarily used to suppress the virus. Taking HIV treatment (ART) also offers the benefit of increasing the health & well-being of people living with the virus. There is now simply clear-cut proof of this.
As such the updated guidelines (https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=68419.msg) recommend not to delay treatment and, that anyone living with HIV should begin antiretroviral treatment as soon after diagnosis as possible, regardless of viral load or cd4 counts.
Treatment as prevention (TasP) refers to the use of antiretroviral (ARV) medication to prevent HIV transmission.
A person living with HIV (PLHIV), who is on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and has achieved an undetectable viral load* in their blood for at least 6 months, can not sexually transmit HIV.
This is also known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)
(*undetectable viral load defined as less than 200 copies/milliliter)
(https://cdn1.poz.com/65505_UU.jpg_eab8f430-76d5-42a2-b1f7-6e4d30b25a78.jpeg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/rFmvNBrj/UU-Graphic-170428-768x516.png)
Image by ACT UP Dublin (http://actupdublin.com)
For more information on TaSP:
https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/treatmentasprevention-tasp
https://www.poz.com/tag/Undetectable
https://preventionaccess.org/faq/
Undetectable Equals Untransmittable, Tips on how to communicate U=U
https://www.poz.com/article/undetectable-equals-untransmittable
Undetectable Equals Untransmittable, Poster on how to communicate U=U
https://www.poz.com/pdfs/uequalsu_poster_2019.pdf