Treatment as Prevention

Treatment as prevention (TasP) refers to HIV prevention methods that use antiretroviral treatment (ART) to reduce HIV viral load in the blood, semen, vaginal fluid and rectal fluid of an infected person to very low levels ('undetectable') which can decrease the risk of transmission of HIV to other people. Evidence has shown that people with HIV who achieve sustained viral suppression to an undetectable level by antiretroviral drugs have no chance of passing on the virus through sex.  (Remember ! It's important to continue to take your HIV medications every day in the way your doctor has instructed and get your viral load monitored.)

As part of HIV prevention strategy, increasing testing and treatment coverage could decrease community viral load and reduce the rate of new HIV infections.