Swiss Statement

The Swiss Statement (French: La déclaration suisse; known in German as das EKAF-Statement), or the Swiss Consensus Statement, was an announcement published in January 2008 by the Swiss Federal Commission for AIDS/HIV (EKAF, Eidgenössischen Kommission für Aids-Fragen)[a] outlining the conditions under which an HIV-positive individual could be considered functionally noncontagious: with adherence to antiretroviral therapy, a sufficiently low viral load, and a lack of any other sexually transmitted diseases. While lacking the backing of complete, fully randomized clinical studies, the Commission felt the existing evidence for non-contagiousness for people on antiretroviral treatment was nonetheless strong enough to warrant official publication.[2]

The Statement generated significant controversy, with some defending it as based on adequate existing scientific evidence and as beneficial for people with HIV, and others maintaining that it was misleading and possibly encouraged risky sexual practices.[3][4][5]

In the years following its publication, further studies validated the Statement. The Statement now represents a medical consensus on the transmission of HIV.[6]

  1. ^ "Federal Commission for Issues relating to Sexually Transmitted Infections (CFIST)". Federal Office of Public Health of Switzerland. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. ^ Vernazza, P; Bernard, EJ (29 January 2016). "HIV is not transmitted under fully suppressive therapy: The Swiss Statement – eight years later". Swiss Medical Weekly. 146: w14246. doi:10.4414/smw.2016.14246. PMID 26824882.
  3. ^ Rojas Castro, D.; Fugon, L.; Bourgeois-Fisson, E.; Le Gall, J.M.; Barbier, F.; Spire, B. (23 April 2012). "The "Swiss Statement": Who knows about it? How do they know? What are its effects on people living with HIV/AIDS?". AIDS Care. 24 (8): 1013–1019. doi:10.1080/09540121.2012.668169. PMID 22519656. S2CID 24508836.
  4. ^ Park, Alice (4 February 2008). "Are Some HIV Patients Non-Infectious?". Time. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. ^ Ballantyne, Coco (September 2008). "Math and semen analyses cast doubt on Swiss HIV stance". Nature Medicine. 14 (9): 896. doi:10.1038/nm0908-896a. PMID 18776872. S2CID 205381877.
  6. ^ Boerner, Heather (7 October 2016). "HIV Undetectable Does Equal Uninfectious: The Swiss Statement and the Vindication of Pietro Vernazza". www.thebodypro.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.


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