Undetectable Equals Untransmittable: A Game Changer for HIV Prevention

In February 2019, the US government launched “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” (1). This 10-year initiative plans to reduce new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States to <3000 per year by 2030, with a focus on high-burden areas. To put that goal into perspective, the United States saw 38 739 new cases of HIV in 2017, and the number of new cases each year has remained relatively steady since 2012 (1). The “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” initiative is feasible because HIV prevention and treatment medications have proven both efficacious and effective. Individuals who are HIV-negative can be prescribed pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a single pill consisting of 2 antiretroviral drugs. Taken once each day, PrEP is 99% effective in preventing HIV transmission (1). Likewise, individuals who are HIV-positive can receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can reduce viral loads to undetectable levels.