Back HIV Prevention Treatment as Prevention

Treatment as Prevention

Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Heterosexual HIV Transmission Risk by More than 90%

HIV positive people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) were 92% less likely than untreated individuals to transmit the virus to their heterosexual partners, according to an African study reported in the May 27, 2010 advance online edition of The Lancet. Among untreated partners, greater transmission risk was associated with lower CD4 cell count and higher viral load. The researchers concluded that ART could be an effective strategy for achieving population-level reductions in HIV transmission.

Read more:

Antiretroviral Therapy Does Not Completely Eliminate the Risk of HIV Transmission between Heterosexual Couples

It is well known that by lowering HIV viral load in the blood and genital fluids, effective combination antiretroviral therapy can dramatically lower the risk of transmitting the virus. Some researchers, in fact, have suggested that expanded use of early therapy might significantly reduce HIV incidence on a population basis.

Read more: