In the 34 years since HIV was first identified by science, much has changed. It’s no longer just a matter of whether someone is HIV-positive or not — today, with medical advances, people living with HIV are living longer healthier lives and are less likely to transmit their infection and now there is a once a day pill that is at least 92 percent effective in preventing someone from becoming infected. With these changes come a bevy of new ideas; here are some key ones to better understand HIV in 2015.
HIV positive: this means tests detected the antibodies for HIV. Antibodies are specific proteins produced by the body to combat foreign items in the body such as viruses and bacteria. An adult person only has antibodies to HIV if the virus has infected that person.
HIV negative: this means tests have not detected the antibodies for HIV. This means that either the person does not have the infection, or they are early on in the infection such that their body has not fully responded by developing the antibodies (which takes about three weeks).
Viral Load: This is a test which measures the amount of virus in the blood. The test can detect as few as 28 viral particles per mL of blood. The higher the viral load, the more infectious a person is as well as the more likely the virus will cause significant damage to the immune system.
Undetectable: This means the person is living with HIV, but has successfully suppressed the virus through medication. It refers to a measure of viral load which cannot detect the virus in the blood. It does not mean the person is not still infected with the virus, it means the virus is well controlled in the body. Recent studies have found a person who has an undetectable viral load is highly unlikely to transmit their infection to sexual and needle sharing partners.
TasP: This is an abbreviation for Treatment as Prevention. Scientists have discovered that when a person is on medications and has an undetectable viral load, they are highly unlikely to transmit the infection. As a result, the CDC and state and local health officials have moved towards encouraging people living with HIV to get on treatment for two reasons. First is better long term health outcomes for the person with HIV, and the second is the reduction in the risk of transmission to sexual and needle sharing partners.