FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jora White
(334) 206-2778
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) adopts the Prevention Access Campaign‘s Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U), a national movement to dismantle HIV stigma, improve the lives of people with HIV, and bring us closer to ending the HIV epidemic. Scientific findings indicate that people with HIV who have undetectable levels of HIV in their blood for six months or longer have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their partners. Treatment keeps the virus suppressed, thus keeping people from transmitting the virus. This concept is known as “Treatment as Prevention,” or TasP.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health endorse the science behind U=U. As work in Alabama continues, it is crucial to promote consistent and correct condom use, routine HIV screening, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Alabama joins over 18 other state and local health departments, and more than 700 organizations from 90 countries in adopting this new messaging campaign.
“People with HIV (PWH) in Alabama continue to live with the stigma that they are possibly harmful and infectious to others. This new evidence will be critical to changing public perception of HIV transmissibility,” said Sharon Jordan, director, Office of HIV Prevention and Care. The undeniable message of U=U offers many opportunities for improving care and enhancing the quality of life for Alabamians with HIV. Consequently, the office recognizes that it is important to make PWH, the public, and providers aware of the changing scientific evidence related to HIV.
For more information about HIV and other resources, visit alabamapublichealth.gov/hiv/index.html; and for information about PrEP and PEP, visit alabamapublichealth.gov/hiv/prep.html. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and download the “Start Talking Alabama” and “Know. Manage. Live.” apps from the Apple or Google Play store.