Planned Parenthood Joins Prevention Access Campaign’s U = U Consensus Statement
For Immediate Release: July 24, 2017
The U equals U consensus statement reflects latest findings in HIV treatment as prevention.
NEW YORK — Planned Parenthood is proud to join a community of international health experts on the Prevention Access Campaign’s ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ consensus statement, which confirms that when a person living with HIV is on effective treatment, suppressing the virus to "undetectable" levels for at least six months, the risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners is negligible. As the nation’s leading provider of sex education and information, we are proud to share this message with the communities we serve.
“Planned Parenthood agrees with the groundswell of research showing that successful, ongoing treatment of HIV reduces transmission risk to effectively zero,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “As HIV prevention and treatment advance and evolve, so must our patient care and education if we are to end the dual epidemics of HIV and HIV stigma.”
Prevention Access Campaign's Undetectable = Untransmittable, or U = U, is a community of HIV advocates, activists, researchers, and community partners around the world that have united to clarify and disseminate the revolutionary but largely unknown fact that people living with HIV on effective treatment do not sexually transmit HIV.
“We are thrilled that Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of sex education in the nation, has joined the U = U campaign to ensure that this groundbreaking science is incorporated into sexual health messaging for young people and communities most affected by HIV,” added Bruce Richman, co-founder of Prevention Access Campaign. “Planned Parenthood’s leadership on this issue is especially important in a time when truth and science about sexual and reproductive health are under attack.”
The statement is based on years of research by leading HIV experts and endorsed by the International AIDS Society, the world’s largest association of HIV professionals.
The PARTNER study is a large international study enrolling couples where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative. Stage one of the study (2010-2014) looked at the risks of HIV transmission when viral load is made undetectable through sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART).The main result was that there were no HIV transmissions after nearly 900 couples had sex without condoms more than 58,000 times.
“Scientific innovation has greatly improved our ability to address the HIV epidemic and people living with HIV deserve to know the most medically-accurate information about their bodies,” Dr. McDonald-Mosley added. “Informing patients, providers and the general public about the advances in HIV science can shift deeply ingrained fear of HIV and the established dogma about how to prevent it.”
As part of our work to expand our capacity to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), Planned Parenthood is committed to providing evidence-based health care, education, and information that reflects recent advances in HIV treatment and prevention, including what it now means to live with HIV and the best ways to prevent it.
For over 100 years, we’ve been fighting to ensure that people can access accurate, nonjudgmental preventive care and education to keep themselves and their families healthy, no matter who they are, where they live or how they love.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.