New HIV cure discovered 2016

News from AIDS 2016

This edition of HIV update focuses on research from the recent International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) that is particularly relevant to people living with HIV in the UK.

Treatment as prevention: more confidence in zero transmission risk

New data from the PARTNER study looking at the infectiousness of people taking HIV treatment has added to confidence that individuals with an undetectable viral load are extremely unlikely to transmit HIV to their sexual partners – the risk may even be zero.

The research involves couples in which one person is living with HIV and one person is not. The researchers are interested in the effectiveness of HIV treatment as prevention.

Early results released in 2014 showed no transmissions after sex without a condom when the HIV-positive partner had an undetectable viral load. Now the researchers have more data on more couples, so can state their conclusions with more confidence.

The latest data were collected from 888 couples, 38% of them gay men. Each couple was followed for an average of 1.6 years.

They had sex without a condom a total of 58,213 times, but on no occasion was HIV passed on.

Nonetheless, there were eleven new HIV infections. Genetic analysis showed that in every case the virus acquired by the HIV-negative partner was quite different from their partner’s virus, suggesting it had been acquired from sex outside the relationship.

The vagaries of statistical analysis mean that researchers are not yet prepared to say that an undetectable viral load means a zero risk of transmission – although that may well be the case. The researchers are continuing to collect more data from gay men so that they can give firmer conclusions on the risk of transmission during anal sex.

Nonetheless, the lack of any transmissions in couples – gay or heterosexual – in the context of an undetectable 

About the Author

Mussa Msemakweli is a technology entrepreneur, Book writer and digital marketing expert. He is currently C E O at the Africa shared . His work has been featured in a number of publications, including the Maisha halisi Magazine and on Culture trip. If you have a good time follow me on facebook and instagram or leave a comment, Thanks.
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Mussa Msemakweli