HIV and art go hand in hand. Times of great crisis tend to lead to some of the finest art creation. The HIV epidemic of the ’80s and early ’90s led to the death of many artists, such as Gia Carangi, Freddie Mercury and Keith Haring, to name but a few. Incredible art is currently being made regarding the epidemic of that time, like the film 120BPM and the TV series Pose.

It is so important we have a chance to tell these stories that were ignored and disregarded for far too long. However, it is pivotal to note that these movies and shows tell the story of that era and not the one we are currently living in.

It is vital that people understand medicine has advanced massively since then and living with HIV in the present day is a very different story. While all this art is important, there is another ART that needs to be discussed. ART is an acronym used when talking about living with HIV. AntiRetroviral Therapy is a key component of treating HIV, but also one of a plethora of ways in which we can tackle the crisis, and the stigma associated with living with HIV. Below is a quick guide to some of the language and acronyms you will see used when discussing HIV. The more people that are informed on the topic, the better.

ART (AntiRetroviral Therapy)

AntiRetroviral Therapy is the name given to the effective treatment regimen for a virus like HIV. It is essentially daily medication(s) that suppress the viral load of a person living with HIV.

Viral Load

This refers to the amount of copies of HIV than can be found in a sample of a HIV Positive person’s blood sample. Within months of beginning treatment, ART suppresses the amount of copies to a minimal level in the body, known as ‘Undetectable Levels’.

Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U)

Undetectable levels of HIV mean the amount of copies of HIV in a blood sample are too low to be detected in a viral load test. This does not mean the person is cured, they are still HIV+, however it means they can live as happy and healthy a life as a HIV-person. Vitally though, it means that the person CANNOT PASS ON HIV to a sexual partner. This is true, regardless of condom use, PrEP, etc.

A person with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus to a sexual partner. Undetectable equals untransmittable. U=U.

We know this because of the PARTNER studies.

PARTNER Studies

PARTNER 1: 900 serodiscordant (One living with HIV and on effective treatment, one not) couples had condomless sex 58,000 times. Not a single case of new diagnosis.

PARTNER 2: This specifically looked at 800 serodiscordant gay male couples (one living with HIV and on effective treatment, one not) who had sex 77,000 times and again, not a single case of new diagnosis.

That’s 1,700 serodiscordant couples partaking in 135,000 condomless sex acts and not a single new diagnosis.

Often the messaging around HIV is aimed toward HIV-people, about how to stay negative. Information around U=U benefits everyone; people living with HIV are empowered and feel less stigmatised in the community, while people who are HIV-don’t perpetuate outdated ideas and can make more informed decisions regarding sexual partners.

A lot of people reading this will have come up through the Irish education system and its less than stellar sex education. You may not have known about ART and U=U until now. If you did not know this information until today, why not inform someone else about U=U? Living with HIV has changed hugely in the recent years. A person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass on HIV to a sexual partner; that is the art of ART.