HIV-negative gay men uncomfortable relying on an undetectable viral load to prevent HIV

Australian HIV-negative gay men express far more confidence in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than an undetectable viral load in preventing HIV, with only 18% agreeing that “a person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass on HIV” and 6% feeling comfortable having condomless sex with an HIV-positive partner who had an undetectable viral load, according to a pair of articles recently published in Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS & Behavior.

Confidence in the efficacy of PrEP was much higher.

Researchers from the Burnet Institute conducted an online survey with gay and bisexual men living in Melbourne and other parts of the state of Victoria. It included a series of questions to gauge men’s knowledge of and attitudes towards condoms, an undetectable viral load and PrEP.

Australia has a long history of promoting condom use and regular HIV testing in gay men. More recently, there has also been high-profile support for treatment as prevention and PrEP. Around the time the survey was conducted in August and September 2016, a PrEP demonstration project was scaling up in Victoria. Several Australian campaigns promoting the benefits of HIV treatment had already been run, but the international “Undetectable = Untransmittable” campaign had not yet taken off.

Half the survey participants were between the ages of 25 and 40; most identified as gay; and 20% were born outside Australia. A third reported condomless sex with a casual partner in the past six months, and half with a regular partner.

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
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  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
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