Australasian statement

In July 2008 the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, and the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research issued a joint statement which noted the following:

“Consistent use of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) will, in most cases, lead to an undetectable viral load (VL), as measured in blood, semen and vaginal fluids. As a result, the average viral load of the community of people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will be reduced. By reducing the VL, ART will also complement the benefits of consistent condom use and effective sexually transmitted infections (STI) detection and treatment, in preventing HIV transmission that may otherwise occur due to condom failure. However, there are no data to suggest that a population HIV prevention strategy based solely or predominately on the use of ART and associated with a reduction in condom use, will lead to fewer people becoming infected in the Australian and New Zealand populations, especially in the context of rising rates of STI.”

The statement then summarised available knowledge on the effect of treatment on transmission and weighed the pros and cons of making a public statement that encourages individuals with an undetectable viral load to abandon safer sex. It also acknowledges the legal implications for jurisdictions that have HIV exposure laws, such as New South Wales.

It concludes by saying that, “for the present and in light of our current knowledge, safe sex is the only way to prevent HIV spread. Safer sex includes correct and consistent male and female condom use, and early and effective detection and treatment for STIs.”¹