At a glance
Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) is an essential strategy for HIV prevention and a community-led global health campaign. CDC is a leader in the global movement to promote U=U, which advances health equity for people living with HIV and ultimately prevent HIV transmission.
Overview
Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)
Sustained antiretroviral treatment (ART) reduces the amount of HIV in the body to undetectable levels in viral load tests. Studies have demonstrated that people living with HIV with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to sexual partners. This science, or treatment as prevention (TasP), is one of the most effective biomedical tools for preventing HIV transmission.
U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), launched in 2016 by the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC), is a community-led global health and human rights movement with over 1,000 official partners in 105 countries. U=U simplifies the science to the lifesaving message: A person living with HIV who is on treatment and maintains an undetectable viral load has zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners.
Implementing and scaling up U=U
CDC is a key implementer of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). CDC uses innovation and data-driven approaches to help eliminate HIV as a global public health threat, sustaining and accelerating PEPFAR's lifesaving achievements of more than twenty years.
In partnership with PAC, CDC developed the “Implementing and Scaling Up Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)” resource guide, to help partners implement and champion U=U in PEPFAR-supported countries and beyond.
This guide can help public health officials, healthcare professionals, and advocates understand U=U, place it in a scientific context, and communicate it effectively as a public health intervention. It can also help partners to create a strategic plan, implement activities, and monitor and evaluate progress, with resources and examples for support.
Download the U=U Resource Guide
The lifesaving message of U=U
Watch CDC expert Monique Carry, Ph.D., MA, discuss the importance of U=U with Miguel Gomez, HIV.gov Director, and Deondre Moore, from the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), and Jesse Milan, Jr., JD, a member of PACHA, and the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Committee, at the 25th International AIDS Conference.
Supporting global strategies to end HIV
Beyond improving adherence to treatment, U=U supports the achievement of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
As an individual-level intervention, U=U can:
- Increase the uptake of HIV testing services
- Improve treatment adherence and viral suppression
- Improve the quality of life and well-being of people living with HIV
As a community and organizational-level intervention, U=U can:
- Improve understanding of the benefits of HIV treatment
- Increase health equity by championing universal access to care and treatment
- Reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination