The power to label is the power to destroy.
As board members of the Utah AIDS Foundation (UAF), we want to inform all Utahns that UAF has been working since 1985 to educate all Utahns about HIV and AIDS, our way of tackling the root causes of labeling that leads to stigma.
To understand today’s reality of HIV and AIDS, it’s important to remember a simple equation: U=U. It means “Undetectable equals Untransmittable.”
Studies conclude when an individual living with HIV maintains low amounts of the virus in their blood for at least six months, they have zero risk of transmitting the virus sexually to a partner.
This is why HIV testing is so important, and no one should be afraid to get tested. Research shows that an untested person has a greater chance of transmitting the disease to a partner than a person who is HIV positive but has undetectable viral loads. Plus, now there’s a new daily drug regimen called PrEP that can reduce the risk of getting HIV by 90%.
Today we have the ability to treat, suppress and prevent HIV. But for this approach to work, people need to get tested and know their status. That’s why UAF is making STI and HIV testing free for the entire month of June.
Jackie Rohrer and RyLee Curtis, Holladay