As the 2018 United States Conference on AIDS gets underway, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors released an updated policy statement to reaffirm the conclusive scientific evidence that people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and are virologically suppressed do not sexually transmit HIV. With the release of this renewed statement and recommitment actions for governmental public health, NASTAD reinforces its longstanding work to end the dual epidemics of HIV and HIV-related stigma and to dramatically reduce new HIV infections through policies and public health practice grounded in science.
The conclusive evidence about the highly effective preventive benefits of ART, which includes the final results from the PARTNER study presented in July at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, provides an unprecedented opportunity for NASTAD members to reinforce sexual and reproductive health among people living with HIV, advocate for expanded access to comprehensive care and support services, and overcome immense social and structural barriers to successful treatment.
NASTAD encourages widely sharing the conclusive scientific understanding of the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from virally suppressed people living with HIV to promote optimal health outcomes, sexual and reproductive health, and reduce stigma.
