Drag favourite Courtney Act teamed up with the AIDS support group to make a short and simple video describing all a person would need to know about U=U, meaning that a person with HIV who has an undetectable viral load can not pass the virus onto a partner.

Courtney spoke about an ex-boyfriend who is HIV Positive, “He has an undetectable viral load so I know first-hand how this can affect people in a serodiscordant couple – which is where one partner is HIV-negative and one is HIV-positive. It was great to know he could have much better health in the long-run and that scientific evidence shows he was unable to pass on HIV on to me, even without condoms. We live in a fear-based world where HIV stigma can prevail, but armed with science and facts I was able to break down the stigma in my own mind and be in a happy and healthy relationship with my partner.”

The New Zealand AIDS Foundation stated, “When copies of HIV cannot be detected by standard viral load tests, a person living with HIV is said to have an ‘undetectable viral load. Most people diagnosed with HIV will be able to achieve an undetectable viral load. Chances increase with an early diagnosis, which is why regular testing for HIV is important.

Research of gay and bisexual men with an undetectable viral load and their HIV-negative partners in the Opposites Attract Study reported no cases of HIV transmission in over 12,000 reported acts of anal intercourse where neither condoms or PrEP (the daily HIV prevention pill) were used.

They continued, “On top of this, top line results of the PARTNER trial showed zero HIV transmissions in 22,000 occasions of sex between gay male couples where the HIV infected partner had an undetectable viral load.” 

HIV Ireland is throwing its own event, the Red Ball, to help raise awareness and support those living or affected by HIV and AIDS.