Not long ago, it was common for gay and bisexual men and others at high risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, to participate in “serological research” or to choose a romantic partner based on a shared HIV status. . “Someone who was HIV positive had to live in fear of infecting their partner,” says Richard Greene, an HIV researcher and associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine. Meanwhile, HIV-negative people had to trust that their partner was being honest about their HIV status.
“But a lot of that is in the past,” says Greene. “Thanks to advances in HIV treatment, serodiscordant couples can have sex without risk of transmitting HIV. While one of these medications is for HIV negative people, the other is for those with HIV. ”
WHAT IS THE PREP?
PrEP is a prescription medication that contains two antiviral medications that are used to treat HIV. “PrEP is a once-a-day pill that an HIV-negative person can take to protect themselves from transmission,” says Dr. Greene.
While PrEP is not a guarantee, it reduces the risk of transmission by as much as 92 percent, according to the CDC. “When combined with condoms, the risk of HIV transmission drops to almost zero.”
He says insurance generally covers the cost of PrEP for people at high risk for HIV, which includes those in a sexual relationship with an HIV-positive partner. “It is not protection against any other STDs,” adds Greene. (A condom is still the best protection against gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted diseases.)
But if you are diligent about taking your PrEP pill every day, it is an effective way to protect yourself from HIV.
ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY
HIV is a type of virus known as a “retrovirus.” And since the 1990s, prescription antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) have helped people with HIV prevent the virus from progressing to AIDS.
“But while antiretroviral therapy has been around for decades, these antiviral drugs have become much more effective,” says Dr. Greene. “Not only can they allow an HIV-positive person to lead a normal, symptom-free life, but it can also eliminate the risk of an HIV-positive person transmitting the virus to their partner or offspring.”
He mentions the U = U campaign, which means “undetectable is non-transmissible”. Over the past decade, three historical studies have shown that HIV-positive people who receive ART and have an “undetectable viral load” cannot transmit the virus to others.
“These studies followed couples for years and found no incidence of transmission,” says Greene. He notes that, “just last year, the CDC supported these findings and the U = U campaign.” We used to have these stigmas about what it means to have HIV in the body and all of that is changing. “
To be clear, a person who is HIV positive must be taking antiretroviral drugs and show an undetectable viral load for at least six months before they can have sex without fear of transmission, the viral load is measured every three months through a blood tests, and that current ART therapies are generally a single pill prescribed once a day.
KEEP YOUR COUPLE SAFE
If a partner has HIV, ART and PrEP allow both people in the relationship to take steps to safeguard the health status of the HIV-negative person. “Now someone who is HIV positive no longer has to live in fear that they will transmit this virus,” says Dr. Greene.