Undetectable equals untransmissible: knowledge, attitude, and practice among HIV-negative clients attending selected health facilities in Rwanda.

Abstract

HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to challenge public health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In 2018, the UNAIDS launched the Undetectable equals Untransmissible (U=U) approach which states that people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral treatment (ART) with undetectable viral load in the blood circulation, do not transmit HIV to their sexual partners. Â We conducted a cross-sectional study for knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) toward U=U in HIV-negative clients in Rwanda, of the 380 study participants. 6.3%, 5.8, % and 4.7% of the participants had good knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward the U=U phenomenon, respectively. This study presents low KAP levels on U=U among the general HIV-negative population in Rwanda and underscores the need to enhance public health communication on this phenomenon to maximize its benefits in the HIV response.