U=U gives hope to people living with HIV and their loved ones

Posted on October 2, 2024

Spread the good news: U=U gives hope to people living with HIV and their loved ones

South Africa, xx September 2024: While Sub-Saharan Africa is the region in the world most affected by HIV, there is an important message of hope to spread through all our communities, which is that people living with HIV (PLHIV) who stay on their HIV medications can live normal lives with peace of mind that they can’t infect their loved ones.

“In short, we call this message U=U. It stands for Undetectable = Untransmittable. What it means is that people who stay on their prescribed HIV medications without any breaks or interruptions can bring down their viral count so much that it becomes basically undetectable in tests, and once the viral level is undetectable it prevents sexual transmission of HIV. If everyone who lives with HIV can stay on their meds and get their viral loads undetectable, we can stop the spread of HIV together very soon. We can look forward to a future where HIV is no longer spreading and we can all live happy, healthy and safe lives,” explains Dr Ziyanda Makaba, Clinical Specialist for HIV and Paediatrics at BroadReach Health Development.

Dr Makaba explains that there are three major benefits to U=U:

  • U=U means an undetectable viral load prevents the sexual transmission of HIV
  • It prevents the further spread of HIV now and for future generations
  • HIV medications available in state clinics are highly effective, with greater health benefits if they are taken correctly and consistently as prescribed.

PEPFAR, an initiative of the US President’s office over the past 20 years and in long-time collaboration with the Department of Health and implementation partners like BroadReach, has conducted several surveys with adult South Africans living with HIV to see if they recognised and understood the U=U messaging. The surveyed group reflected the demographic profile of South Africa. It found that there was a lower level of awareness that there were effective available medications that could prevent the transmission of HIV. Critically, only about one third of PLHIV knew what U=U meant or knew that if they stayed on their HIV medications, they could protect their partners from getting the virus.

“It’s very important that we start spreading the U=U message all through our communities. People need to know there is real hope. We can stop HIV in its tracks very soon we can achieve undetectable viral loads,” says Dr Makaba. An example of these kinds of interventions that empower communities to proactively manage their treatment, is DREAMS. DREAMS is a joint programme run by BroadReach Health Development, the Department of Health (DoH) and international funders such as USAID and PEPFAR. This program is aimed at reducing rates of HIV amongst adolescent girls and young women through a holistic approach including access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention and other educational, economic strengthening and violence protection initiatives that address their vulnerability to HIV. One of the key areas this program focuses on is peer support initiatives to encourage adolescent girls and young women to get tested, linked to medications for the prevention and treatment of HIV, and for those that tested HIV positive, to maintain ultra-low, and therefore undetectable and untransmittable, HIV viral loads so that they can go on to pursue their dreams and live fulfilled lives. DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) and is supporting high-risk young women and girls around the country.

Dr. Makaba adds, “Let’s all spread the word together that the amazing HIV medications we have available – if you take them exactly as prescribed, without skipping a day and achieve viral suppression – this is highly effective in protecting people living with HIV and sexual partners. People need to know their HIV status and if HIV positive, start on the HIV medication and then know their viral count. You can get tested at your local clinic and it’s free and discreet. Once you know what your status is, and if you are confirmed HIV-positive, you can start on the life-saving HIV medications that are available in all public hospitals and clinics today, and this can save you and your partner and family. This is very good news that everyone in South Africa needs to hear today.”

For more information about U=U, please visit https://www.facebook.com/UequalsUza.

ENDS

HIV FACTS:

According to the United Nations’ children’s agency (UNICEF), Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV, and more needs to be done to get young people into clinics to be tested and if HIV negative linked to prevention strategies and if positive linked to treatment for HIV. Their data shows that adolescents and young people made out a “growing share of people living with HIV worldwide” and that in Southern Africa only 25% of adolescent girls and 17% of adolescent boys aged 15-19 years were being tested for HIV.