Canada Endorses Undetectable = Untransmittable Campaign

OTTAWA, CANADA — (12-05-18) — Canada endorses Undetectable = Untransmittable Campaign, confirmed Minister of Health, Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

The minister of Health officially endorsed the Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) campaign on Tuesday Dec. 4, 2018 and covered on the official hivplusmag website.

During a roundtable with citizens from across Canada which was put together to discuss life living with HIV, Minister Petitpas said he was looking for new means of understanding their experiences and a way to bring down the sigma of HIV/AIDS.

Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) Campaign (Official Website)

“Scientific advances have shown that antiretroviral therapy (ART) preserves the health of people living with HIV. We also have strong evidence of the prevention effectiveness of ART. When ART results in viral suppression, defined as less than 200 copies/ml or undetectable levels, it prevents sexual HIV transmission. Across three different studies, including thousands of couples and many thousand acts of sex without a condom or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), no HIV transmissions to an HIV-negative partner were observed when the HIV-positive person was virally suppressed. This means that people who take ART daily as prescribed and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner.” – CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

The stigma of HIV/AIDS has for far too long lead people not to seek treatment and now, with the endorsement of the Undetectable = Untransmittable Campaign, we he is hoping to reach people to reach out for prevention methods, support and treatment.

“Canada is committed to preventing new HIV infections and achieving our global targets.” said Minster of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor. “The courage of people living with HIV inspires me. The continued support of initiatives like the Undetectable = Untransmittable campaign are critical to ending HIV-related stigma. Ending stigma will also go a long way in helping us prevent new infections, reach the undiagnosed, and ensure that people living with HIV receive the care, treatment and support they need.” said Minister Taylor.

Article by: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer