A negative and often unfair attitude that society or a group of people have towards something. In the case of HIV, stigma can lead to discrimination, isolation, barriers to accessing health care, shame, fear, internal negative thoughts, and more. People can also suffer from internal stigma; a sense of self-shame that can be as debilitating as external stigma and can lead to depression, isolation, and … Continue reading Stigma
Undetectable equals untransmittable. When someone with HIV is on ART and their virus is suprresed so low that it is undetectable on an HIV test they can no longer pass on the virus through sex. Passing the virus on through IV drug use is also greatly diminished. The key is that for this to work, the patient but be diligent about taking their medications on-time … Continue reading U=U
A test that measures the amount of HIV in a person’s blood. For more information, visit the CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/livingwithhiv/understanding-care.html Continue reading Viral Load Test
W hen someone’s viral load (the amount of HIV in a person’s blood) is undetectable due to ART. And undetectable means untransmittable, or U=U For more information, visit the National Institute of Health. https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/glossary/1650/viral-suppression Continue reading Viral Suppression
