July 28, 2022 Montreal, Quebec Public Health Agency of Canada
Thanks to the advances in HIV science over the last four decades, people living with HIV who are on medication and maintain an undetectable amount of virus in their blood can lead a long, healthy life without the fear of passing HIV to their sexual partner. This is the powerful message behind "Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)"
Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced Canada's endorsement for a global declaration on Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). This builds on Canada's leadership as the first country to formally endorse the U=U campaign in 2018.
The U=U message is linked to factors known to impact quality of life and health outcomes, including decreased stigma, improved self-image, better mental health, and greater comfort sharing status with partners, making it a key tool for combatting HIV-related stigma.
People living with HIV who are informed about U=U are more likely to report optimal mental, physical and sexual health. Knowledge of U=U increases uptake in HIV testing, treatment and achieving viral suppression, all of which supports the global goal of ending HIV and AIDS as a public health concern by 2030. This life-changing science has transformed what it means to live and love with HIV across the globe.
To-date, more than 1,000 official U=U partners from all sectors in 105 countries have signed on to the campaign to share the message. The global declaration on U=U endorsed today takes the global commitment to U=U one step further by recognizing the value of the message as a tool to advance efforts to end HIV as a public health concern, and by committing countries to integrate U=U into their policies and programs. Canada endorses the U=U campaign and the global declaration on U=U, and encourages other countries to do the same.
