A point, I’ve made repeatedly is GET TESTED REGULARLY! If you are positive, get treatment as quickly as possible because then, you have the ability to get your viral load down to undetectable levels. If you aren’t getting tested, you may not know you are positive, and you may be spreading HIV. A new study highlights that message very strongly.

BREAKTHROUGH: Study Shows Zero HIV Transmissions When Undetectable

Zero transmissions is the way we curb and then end the spread of HIV.

A groundbreaking study on antiretroviral treatment showed that the drugs can disable HIV and stop sexual transmission. The randomized study of 1,700 couples was conducted by UNC-Chapel Hill and confirmed a 2011 study that stated ART could prevent transmission of HIV if it is taken reliably. The medications suppress HIV and can render it virtually harmless, unable to transmit to a sexual partner.

I think a few things stop people from being tested. One, doing so, is an admission that you are having sex with more than one partner, and as a culture, we are still hung up on stigmatizing sexually active persons. Two, we are afraid that we may have converted, and we don’t want to find out if we did because we are afraid we will be judged. Three, we don’t know what to do with the information if we are positive– there is no going back to being negative, so we are afraid to face that reality. But fear and acting (or not acting) out of fear places ourselves and others at risk.

Get tested regularly, and know your status. If you get tested regularly, it is a less stressful experience. Practice safer sex all of the time. If you have converted to positive, get on treatment as soon as possible. And if you are on treatment, take your meds all of the time to keep your viral load undetectable.

People who are positive are not the cause of spreading HIV. People who don’t know their status are the cause. Be a part of the solution and get tested regularly.