WHO: The role of HIV viral suppression in improving individual health and reducing transmission
This policy brief describes key HIV viral load thresholds and the available viral load testing approaches for monitoring how well antiretroviral therapy is working for people living with HIV. It provides clarification for and elaborates upon the current treatment monitoring algorithm from the Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach.
This information can help people living with HIV to live healthy lives, ensure that HIV is not transmitted to other people and support policy-makers in determining the optimal allocation of resources for viral load testing and communicating the results.
Key messages include:
- HIV viral suppression is critical to improve health, prevent sexual transmission, and reduce perinatal transmission.
- There are three key categories for HIV viral load measurements: unsuppressed (>1000 copies/mL), suppressed (detected but ≤1000 copies/mL) and undetectable (viral load not detected by test used).
- People living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load using any WHO-prequalified combination of sample and testing platform, including dried blood spot samples, and continue taking medication as prescribed have zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partner(s).
- People living with HIV who have a suppressed but detectable viral load and are taking medication as prescribed have almost zero or negligible risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partner(s).
- HIV viral load test results can be a motivation for adhering to treatment and achieving the ultimate goal of being undetectable. Emphasizing and strengthening adherence counselling during antiretroviral therapy initiation and throughout treatment are essential, including communicating about the prevention benefits of viral load suppression to all people living with HIV.
- Current WHO-prequalified tests, including point-of-care and alternative sample types such as dried blood spot samples, can support the goals of treatment programmes to accurately measure and report viral load results as unsuppressed, suppressed and undetectable
Please find additional information to the following link: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240055179