Gaps in U=U awareness globally: healthcare providers need to do more to get the message out

According to findings presented to the 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022) this week, there are still significant gaps when it comes to hearing about Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) and making sense of it for people living with HIV globally. A large part of this has to do with the role healthcare providers play in communicating – or distorting – this life-changing research finding.

Researchers, advocates and policymakers convened at a U=U Summit in Montreal prior to the official start of the conference to celebrate six years since the Prevention Access Campaign launched the U=U message, and four years since the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018), where the final results of the PARTNER 2 study were presented by Professor Alison Rodger. She clearly indicated that there is zero risk of sexual transmission from a person living with HIV with an undetectable viral load. This was the last in a series of studies showing the same finding.

And while there was a celebratory and uplifting mood in the room at the U=U Summit, there is yet much work to do before the benefits of U=U can be fully realised by all people living with HIV in diverse contexts.

Read the full story at Aidsmap.

For more coverage of AIDS 2022 from Aidsmap, click here.