Making U=U Foundational in Our Efforts to End the HIV Epidemic

By: Murray Penner, U.S, Executive Director, Prevention Access Campaign/U=U

Undetectable = Untransmittable, or U=U, was created in July 2016, BY people living with HIV (along with leading researchers and other advocates), FOR people with HIV. The U=U campaign is approaching the fifth anniversary of its launch. As such, it is the perfect time to expand the U=U message with an advocacy focus on how U=U contributes to ending the HIV epidemic. 

Photo Source: Prevention Access Campaign

The medications people with HIV take to stay healthy also make it impossible for them to pass on HIV. That’s because when people are on effective HIV treatment, their HIV is suppressed in the body to such low levels that it’s undetectable by most lab tests. And when one’s viral load is undetectable, HIV also is not transmitted through sex. 

The U=U message is revolutionary and has a positive impact on people’s lives and on ending the epidemic:  

• U=U improves the well-being of people with HIV, transforming their social, sexual, and reproductive lives.
• U=U reduces the anxiety associated with HIV testing and adds an incentive for people with HIV to start and stay on treatment and in care. 
• U=U dismantles stigma on individual and community levels. 
• U=U provides a strong public health rationale for universal access to treatment, care, and support services. We refer to this as the U=U public health strategy.   

The U=U public health strategy is important to use in advocacy efforts. It works like this: When people with HIV have the treatment, care, and support services they need to stay undetectable, they remain healthy, and they cannot transmit HIV through sex. In other words, care and treatment is good for the personal health of people with HIV and good for the public health of the community. 

Photo Source: The Lancet

In a recent article in The Lancet, prominent U.S. leaders called for action to end the HIV epidemic. Among other strategies, it prioritizes the inclusion of U=U in efforts to end the HIV epidemic. 

One strategy in The Lancet article states that “Advocates should be equipped to use the so-called public health argument from U=U in advocacy to increase access and remove barriers to quality health care; ensuring people with HIV have the treatment and services they need to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load. This not only saves lives, but also is an effective way to prevent new transmissions.” In keeping with this recommendation, PAC has created this U=U resource for use in advocacy efforts.As we continue our focus on ending the epidemic, advocacy is critical to make U=U a foundational strategy of our efforts. U=U is essential for the well-being and health of people with HIV. And it’s also critical for ending the epidemic, because U=U also prevents transmission. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID at the NIH and chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, says it best, stating that “U=U is the foundation of being able to end the HIV epidemic.”

Photo Source: NBC

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.