VIDEO: Two steps physicians must take to help end the HIV epidemic

BOSTON — The HIV epidemic is “never going to end” unless physicians do two things, according to Donna E. Sweet, MD, MACP, AAHIVS.

The first is ensure that every adult patient in the United States has been screened for HIV at least once. The second is to ensure that patients who test positive for HIV receive treatment, said Sweet, who is a professor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

“We know that if indeed you get your virus to undetectable, which is quite simple now with the medicines we have, and you keep it that way, you are untransmittable.” Sweet said. “U=U. Undetectable is untransmittable.”

In this video, Sweet urges physicians to “remember the guidelines,” and points them toward the CDC’s “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign for resources on HIV prevention and treatment.

References:

• Let’s Stop HIV Together. https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/index.html. Accessed April 19, 2024.
• Sweet DE. CDC's Let's Stop HIV Together and HIV Nexus: Clinical resources and care presentations to support ending the HIV epidemic. Presented at: ACP Internal Medicine Meeting; April 18-20, 2024; Boston.