Abstract
The clinical knowledge that people living with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load and therefore cannot transmit HIV sexually, known as Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U), has reached a critical mass of adults, but it is relatively silenced within adolescent HIV care and support. We argue that understanding the full range of opportunities enabled by viral suppression, including the elimination of transmission risk, could transform adolescents’ understanding of living with HIV, incentivise optimal treatment engagement and support and sustain their positive mental health. However, the reluctance to discuss U=U with adolescents means that we are not providing them with adequate access to the information and tools that would help them to succeed. We need to recognise, value, and invest in the mediating role of building viral load literacy, illustrated by conveying U=U in ways that are meaningful for adolescents, to accelerate viral suppression. Rather than protect, rationing access to information on U=U only increases their vulnerability and risk to poor HIV and mental health outcomes.
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Reference32 articles.
1. World Health Organzation. Viral suppression for HIV treatment success and prevention of sexual transmission of HIV. Geneva: World Health Organzation; 2018.
2. UNAIDS. Undetectable = untransmittable: public health and HIV viral load suppression. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); 2018.
3. Bernays S, Bourne A, Kippax S, Aggleton P, Parker R. Remaking HIV prevention: the promise of TasP, U=U and PrEP. In: Bernays S, Bourne A, Kippax S, Aggleton P, Parker R, editors. Remaking HIV prevention in the 21st century: the promise of TasP, U=U and PrEP. Social aspects of HIV. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland; 2021. pp. 1–18.
4. Successful treatment of HIV eliminates sexual transmission.;Lancet,2019
5. Prevention Access Campaign. Risk of sexual transmission of HIV from a person living with HIV who has an undetectable viral load: messaging primer and consensus statement. Prevention Access Campaign; 2016.
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献