July 10, 2018 – U=U

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Anchor lead: If you’re infected with HIV, you don’t have to transmit it to others, Elizabeth Tracey reports

People who are infected with HIV are essentially the same as those who aren’t as long as they’re taking the proper medications. That’s the take home from a new slogan being popularized by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention. Joseph Cofrancesco, an HIV expert at Johns Hopkins, explains.

Cofrancesco: If you are infected we have absolutely wonderful treatment that can control this and you can live a healthy life. The CDC has a new advertising plan: U=U. Undetectable equals uninfected. If you’re not infected, we have many different ways to help prevent you from getting infected, like knowing your partner’s status, like having your partner be controlled, because those who are controlled don’t spread the virus, like using condoms and even if need be adding PrEP. :31

Cofranscesco notes that everyone needs to know their HIV status, so everyone should be tested. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.