After decades of combat and awareness about the HIV virus and the AIDS science has already made important advances in prevention and treatment. The use of antiretroviral medications even makes it possible for the virus to no longer be transmissible through sexual intercourse.
The motto I = I which means undetectable = untransmittable was created to popularize the information that the virus can be suppressed in the body to the point that it can no longer be transmitted, even through unprotected sexual intercourse.
The discussion involving the virus and the disease returned to the surface with investigations into the case involving the PCS Lab laboratory, in Rio de Janeiro, where six patients contracted the HIV virus after undergoing organ transplants due to an operational failure in exam tests. of blood.
Although advances in science now allow people with the HIV virus to live healthily, information is an essential tool to ensure that people get tested and seek medical monitoring and treatment – both available in the public health network, through the Unified System of Health (SUS) – if they receive a positive result for HIV.
I = I
THE human immunodeficiency virus better known as HIV attacks the immune system by altering the DNA of CD4+ T lymphocytes, responsible for defending the body from diseases. When the virus is not combated through the use of medication, it can evolve into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the AIDS.
In other words, there are people who live with the HIV virus for years without showing any symptoms or developing AIDS. People who develop the disease are generally those who do not receive an early diagnosis and do not receive adequate treatment.
When a person with HIV using antiretroviral therapy manages to reduce the amount of virus in the blood to a level undetectable by standard laboratory tests for at least six months, the virus is no longer sexually transmissible.
That’s why, undetectable = untransmittable.
Change in quality of life
The possibility of living with HIV without transmitting it through sexual relations allows people with the virus to regain a higher quality of life and to choose, together with their partners, the possibility of having unprotected sexual relations.
However, it is important to note that there is no definitive data on how long a person needs to take antiretroviral medications for the virus to be suppressed to this extent. The only way to know whether or not the viral load is suppressed in the blood is through viral load tests.
Cases of HIV infection fell by 55% in 7 years in the city of São Paulo
This content was originally published in People living with HIV may not transmit the virus; understand on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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