Treatment as Prevention (TasP)

TasP, Treatment as Prevention, is when treatment for HIV taken by a seropositive person acts as a tool for preventing HIV transmission.

There are many benefits to the treatment a seropositive person can take. It prolongs the life expectancy by preventing them from reaching the AIDS stage, and prevents HIV transmission to seronegative people via a, undetectable viral load.

What is a viral load?

A viral load is the quantity of HIV present in the blood. When someone has recently been contaminated with HIV, the viral load is very high. HIV treatment reduces the viral load until it becomes undetectable. When it is undetectable, this means that the HIV is present in such a small quantity that it is not detectable by a typical test. When a seropositive person gets to an undetectable viral load, they can not transmit HIV to their partners, it is untransmittable.

If a person has an undetectable viral load, this does not mean they are cured. If the person stops taking their treatment, the viral load will increase again and they can then contaminate their partners if they are not protected.

TasP and procreation

TasP allows seropositive and serodifferent heterosexual couples to have biological children without needing medically assisted procreation (MAP). For this, the seropositive person/people must have an undetectable viral load for at least 6 months prior.

TasP ans STIs

While TasP prevents HIV transmission, it does not prevent the transmission of other STIs. So, it is important to continue to protect oneself and ensure that partners do not have STIs.