Viral Load and U = U
If your viral load is high then you have a higher chance of passing on HIV to a sex partner, regardless of the type of sex you are having. Having an undetectable viral load means you cannot pass the HIV virus onto your partner. This is known as Undetectable equals Untransmissable (U=U).
How HIV treatment works
- HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (called viral load)
- HIV medicine can make the viral load very low—so low that a test can’t detect it (called an undetectable viral load)
- People with HIV who keep an undetectable viral load (or stay virally suppressed) can live long, healthy lives. (U=U)
- If a person has an undetectable viral load, they have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex (U=U)
If you are concerned about HIV, why not visit our services or order a free postal testing kit from THT Scotland