Mathematical model for something that is not mathematical: narratives of infectologists about undetectable viral load and HIV non-transmissibility

This article is based on an international discussion on HIV non-transmissibility when the HIV-positive person is under treatment and has an undetectable viral load. This is one of the results of research on the sociability of young people living with HIV, with emphasis on new biomedical discourses/practices and their impact on the affective-sexual relationships of young people. From March to November of 2017, the researchers interacted with people living with HIV (PLHIV), aged between 18 and 30 years, and infectologists in a Specialized Service in Salvador-BA, Brazil. Beyond significant changes in relation to HIV due to advances in biotechnology, the study focused on some controversies surrounding the non-transmissibility of the virus from the viewpoint of four infectologists. Open interviews and exploratory reading of the narratives were conducted, identifying themes, issues and actors that moved in the reports on the condition of undetectable. The article argues that undetectable viral load appears as a sensitive/controversial subject in medical offices, updating the PLHIV's position as potentially dangerous that may engage in unprotected sexual practices or "relax" in mutual care. Such narratives raise fundamental ethical issues in care relations, such as the right to information from the perspective of health as a human right.
Source: Physis: Revista de Saude Coletiva - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research