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Easy-to-read and illustrated information on undetectable = untransmittable (U=U).

If you have had an undetectable viral load for at least six months and you continue to take your treatment as prescribed, there is no risk of passing on HIV during sex.

This is what is meant by ‘undetectable = untransmittable’ (U=U).

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Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)
Roger Pebody

Roger Pebody

Commissioning Editor

Roger joined aidsmap in 2008 and was Managing Editor from 2018 to 2024. As a freelancer, he now edits aidsmap’s news and conference coverage, as well as working on updates to About HIV pages. He is also a contributing science editor for TheBodyPro, a freelance journalist for The Lancet HIV, and a medical writer helping researchers prepare articles for peer-reviewed journals. He began working on HIV at Gay Men Fighting AIDS in the mid-1990s.

Basic information

How is HIV transmitted?

Two men embracing.

How is HIV not transmitted?

A couple kissing.

Can mosquitoes transmit HIV?

A close-up of a mosquito sitting on a hand, with a green background.

Transmission facts

Transmission facts

Myths and facts

Myths and facts

Is HIV man-made?

An illustration of an HIV virus.

What does undetectable = untransmittable (U=U) mean?

Domizia Salusest | www.domiziasalusest.com

What’s the difference between PrEP and PEP for HIV prevention?

I’m living with HIV. Can I have sex without a condom?

We’re both living with HIV. Can we have sex without a condom?

I’m starting a relationship with someone who has HIV. What do I need to know?

Transmission and the law

Transmission and the law

HIV transmission

Illustration of purple HIV viruses on a white background.

Impossible routes of HIV transmission

A couple kissing.

Undetectable viral load and HIV transmission

Mareike Günsche | www.aspect-us.com

Condoms

Image: sirtravelalot/Shutterstock.com

PEP

PEP

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)

A white pill bottle is tipped over with blue pills spilling out on to a wooden table., along with white pills.

Oral sex and HIV

Image: NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock.com

Estimated HIV risk per exposure

Image: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock.com

Harm reduction

Naloxone at a needle exchange in Birmingham, UK. Nigel Brunsdon/nigelbrunsdon.com

HIV in the UK

Two older men talk to each other in a garden.

Where did HIV come from?

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Image by Christina Bergey. Creative Commons licence.