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Do people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load need to wear condoms?
Liz Highleyman, 2016-11-02 06:50:00

In the face of extensive research showing that people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with stable undetectable viral load have an extremely low likelihood of transmitting the virus, a majority of participants at IDWeek 2016 in New Orleans thought they should still be advised to use condoms – a proportion that actually increased after a debate that laid out the evidence.

Lisa Winston of the University of California at San Francisco argued the 'Pro' side, while Roy Gulick from Weill Medical College of Cornell University took the 'Con' position.

Before the debate audience members were asked to vote on whether it is completely unnecessary for HIV-positive men with undetectable viral load to wear a condom, unnecessary if viral load has been continuously negative for a year, or condoms should always be used. At the outset 63.5% voted for always using a condom, 12.8% said it was completely unnecessary and 23.6% thought it was unnecessary with conditions.

Source:1