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Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)

Based on the emerging research, the scientific consensus is that a person with HIV who is taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) as prescribed and who has an undetectable viral load in their blood sample for at least six months, has a negligible risk of transmitting HIV sexually.*

Viral load refers to the amount of HIV in a blood sample of a person with HIV. Most often, the higher the viral load, the greater the likelihood an individual with HIV will transmit HIV. ART must be taken daily to achieve viral suppression and maintain untransmittable status.


*During 2016, two key studies (PARTNER and HPTN 052) were released showing that individuals with HIV, who have undetectable viral loads, do not sexually transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners.