HEALTH & WELLNESS
70
HIV/AIDS News in 2017
By Vi c k i Fr e n c h B e n n i n g t o n
“U
ndetectable=Untransmittable, or U=U, is a
breakthrough of hope for people affected
by HIV or AIDS, according to Opal Jones,
president and CEO of Doorways, an interfaith
nonprofit organization, providing housing and
supportive services to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for
those impacted by the condition.
“Basically, it means if it is undetectable, then it can’t be transferred,”
Jones said, “and that is huge.”
Three recent studies have prompted confirmation by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention that if an HIV-positive person
has an undetectable viral load, they cannot pass on the virus through
unprotected sex. The announcement was made in July at the
International AIDS Society Conference in Paris.
The complex studies involved thousands