By Gom Mirian
The new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance and a recent Lancet systematic review have emphasised the critical role of HIV viral suppression in improving individual health and preventing the transmission of the virus.
According to the guidelines which outline key thresholds for HIV viral load and the methods to measure virus levels, individuals living with HIV who consistently maintain an undetectable level of the virus through antiretroviral therapy are highly unlikely to transmit the virus to their sexual partners or vertically to their children.
Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the risk of HIV transmission is minimal or virtually nonexistent when the HIV viral load is below or equal to 1000 copies per mL, commonly known as having a suppressed viral load.
“For more than 20 years, countries all over the world have relied on WHO’s evidence-based guidelines to prevent, test for and treat HIV infection,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“The new guidelines we are publishing today will help countries to use powerful tools that have the potential to transform the lives of millions of people living with or at risk of HIV.
“At the end of 2022, 29.8 million of the 39 million people living with HIV were taking antiretroviral treatment (which means 76% of all people living with HIV) with almost three-quarters of them (71%) living with suppressed HIV. This means that for those virally suppressed their health is well protected and they are not at risk of transmitting HIV to other people. While this is very positive progress for adults living with HIV, viral load suppression in children living with HIV is only 46% – a reality that needs urgent attention.”
