Expert consensus : Viral load and the risk of HIV transmission : report

Institut national de santé publique du Québec 1 Expert Consensus: Viral Load and the Risk of HIV Transmission 2 Methodology A review of the literature in PubMed on the risk of HIV transmission during oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse and the effect of undetectable viral load on transmission risk was conducted using the following keywords: (HIV) AND (viral load OR undetectable viral load) AND (ri [...] These categories include certain limitations: The risk categorization depends on the quality of the studies on the topic and the statistical power of the results. [...] Moreover, a more detailed analysis revealed that the case of transmission in the group that was being treated since the beginning of the study occurred a short time (3 months) after the participant began ART, and before the first viral load measurement, suggesting that the treatment effect had not yet rendered the viral load undetectable. [...] The authors also underscore the lack of empirical evidence for the transmission risk and the lack of information on the sexual practices of the study respondents, all of which complicate the interpretation of results [27]. [...] Institut national de santé publique du Québec 15 Expert Consensus: Viral Load and the Risk of HIV Transmission Nevertheless, unlike the undetectable viral load strategy, condom use can reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of other STBBIs, which we should be reminded is one of the conditions for reducing the risk transmission with undetectable viral load.