Treatment as Prevention

Treatment as Prevention (TasP) is the use of antiretroviral medication to prevent the transmission of HIV to sexual partners.

HIV treatments ensures that an HIV positive person’s immune system is healthy and reduces the risk of disease advancement associated with HIV. These treatments suppress the levels of HIV (viral load) in a person’s blood and other bodily fluids to ‘undetectable’ levels.

In recent years, a number of trials (HPTN052, PARTNER, and the Australian study Opposites Attract) have confirmed that TasP is effective at preventing HIV transmission. In these studies there was no cases of HIV transmission among heterosexual and gay couples where one partner was HIV-positive and the other negative (serodiscordant), where the HIV-positive partner’s viral load was undetectable. This means that there is ZERO risk of HIV transmission from someone on HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load.

It is critical that access to treatment is equitable and affordable for all people with HIV and that immediate access to treatment is available for people diagnosed with HIV.