An end to the Aids epidemic could be in sight after a landmark study found men whose HIV/AIDS infection was fully suppressed by antiretroviral drugs had ZERO chance of infecting their partner.
The study involved 1,000 gay male couples, where one partner with HIV took antiretroviral therapy (ART), found no new cases of transmission to the HIV-negative partner during sex without a condom.
PrEP can ‘significantly’ reduce HIV rates across populations, study says over the course of the eight-year study, 15 men were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
But genetic tests showed that the transmissions were a result of the HIV-negative men having sexual relations with someone other than their regular partner.
If everyone in the world with HIV knew their status and had access to effective treatment, no new cases would occur, the study suggests.
“What this study really shows is that risk of transmission is zero with ART treatment, and that’s quite new and important,” said Alison Rodger, a professor at University College London who co-led the research.
An earlier study showed that the drugs protected heterosexual couples in which one partner was HIV-positive; the latest research completes the picture, Rodger said.
“The question has been definitively answered; there is no need for further research. It’s not often we get to say that. Finding ways to get knowledge in practice is what we need to do next.”
There was still considerable work to be done to ensure that everyone who has HIV can access testing and treatment, she added