IAPAC and PAC Sign MOU to Accelerate U=U Implementation
10 June 2024 (Fajardo, PUERTO RICO) – The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) and Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on joint activities aimed at accelerating implementation of the life-affirming Undetectable = Untransmittable, or U=U, message.
The MOU outlines a framework for IAPAC and PAC to raise awareness about and operationalize the July 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) policy brief asserting that people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and achieve an undetectable viral load pose zero risk of transmitting the virus sexually.
“I am proud to enter into this new phase of our partnership with PAC and our mutual commitment to accelerating U=U’s global implementation as an integral part of our efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” said Dr. José M. Zuniga, President/CEO of IAPAC and the Fast-Track Cities Institute. “Our partnership with PAC is a critical engagement through which we aim to encourage health systems and the health workforce to make U=U a reality for all people living with HIV.”
“This next step with IAPAC is hugely exciting because it will extend the reach of U=U and the WHO’s groundbreaking guidance through IAPAC’s global networks of healthcare professionals, health officials, and institutions, as well as Fast-Track Cities,” said Bruce Richman, Founding Executive Director of PAC. “I look forward to working with IAPAC to ensure that health professionals are clearly and meaningfully communicating U=U, and that health officials recognize that scaling up U=U is not only critical for those of us living with HIV but also has broad societal, economic, and public health benefits for countries.”
The MOU includes three work areas: 1) increasing U=U and zero risk message uptake among healthcare providers; conducting advocacy education for healthcare providers to promote the integration of U=U and zero risk into national clinical practice guidelines; and influencing academic institutions, professional associations, and Ministries of Health to integrate U=U and zero risk into national HIV policies, pre- and in-service curricula, and programming.
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About IAPAC
The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) is a global association representing more than 30,000 clinicians and allied health professionals dedicated to improving the quality of prevention, care, and treatment services for people living with and affected by HIV and comorbid conditions. For more information about IAPAC, visit: https://www.iapac.org
About PAC
Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) launched U=U in 2016 by mobilizing scientists and health leaders to confirm the science of U=U and ignited a global movement of partners to share the message and advocate for universal access. For more information about PAC, visit: https://preventionaccess.org
