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I realize this is slightly old, but the CDC has now adopted a policy that U=U. This means Undetectable = Untransmissable. Undetectable typically means a viral load that is less than 50 depending on the test used but a PCR Test (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is sensitive to as low as 20 copies per/ml of blood. When it’s 50 or less only fragments of the virus RNA and DNA can be found not the active virus. HPTN 052 study. 55,000 sex acts no condoms and no transmission in truly undetectable partner.
Its a good timing.
I f**ked an HIV+ undetectable man a week ago. Hope I'm not positive now. I really only "dipped" into him for a few seconds, and then a few moments later when I was about to penetrate him for real, asking him if he was neg. He said, "no". My heart skipped a beat, and when I asked him if he was positive and undetectable, he said yes, he's undetectable. I'm sure I'm fine (I just had full blood panel done a day ago, and will continue to have reg. blood work done) but it's really unnerving.
Stop making this so complicated, dramatic and tragic. For the VAST majority of cases, HIV is completely preventable. Take it from a 55 yo man who's been HIV poz for over 30 years (yes, I was stupid back then) only have SAFE sex and don't use illegal drugs with shared needles. It's that simple. Really.
I agree with Dale Smith, Lostconfidence and Banksy that it remains prudent to use condoms still in this HIV era. And anyway condom use is needed to protect self and others from all STDs. Lostconfidence, maybe the woman you mentioned just came down with actual flu coincidentally. Does this flu like bout at HIV seroconversion really happen anyway? Or do people just look for such a flu like instance that,let's face it, are so common place because many flu like bugs circulate.
I have been in a 15 year relationship with a man who is not poz. I have been living with Hiv soon to be 20 years. I would like know if there has every been a study with heterosexual couples where no protection was used and the female was undetectable and viruse was not spread?
My son who is HIV positive,, has an 8 month old daughter who was born negative and continues to test negative. The baby's mom is also HIV positive. They (the parents,) have taken medicine since day one of testing positive. They both now have undetectable loads. What that means is that they still are HIV positive and will always be but that there blood counts for the virus are very low or undetectable. It is very unlikely they can pass this on. They hope for a fairly normal and Happy life.
Andrew
This article is definitely not aging well. It is a monument to a magazine that should’ve led the way in helping people rejoice, but instead drug its feet and buried the truth. No, it was not “very low risk”. It was none. It was always none, and at the time this was published, we had nearly two decades of data supporting that it was none. Nothing else this safe has been regarded as having “some risk” in practical discussion. If you’re gonna get paid to write “advocacy”, then be an advocate!
March 17, 2018 • Cleveland,OH