{"id":284764,"date":"2026-02-15T03:29:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/284764\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T03:29:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:29:27","slug":"positive-women-inc-welcomes-aotearoa-new-zealands-commitment-to-uu-undetectable-untransmittable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/284764\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Women Inc. Welcomes Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s Commitment To U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday, 15 February 2026, 2:19 pm
Press Release: Positive Women<\/a><\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. NZ welcomes today\u2019s announcement
\nthat Aotearoa New Zealand has signed the global
\nCall-to-Action on Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U),
\nmarking a significant step forward in Aotearoa New
\nZealand\u2019s response to HIV.<\/p>\n

U=U is a clear,
\nevidence-based principle: when a person living with HIV is
\non effective HIV treatment and maintains an undetectable
\nviral load (the amount of virus in the blood), they cannot
\ntransmit HIV sexually, nor from mother to baby during
\npregnancy.<\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. NZ says the
\nGovernment\u2019s endorsement is deeply meaningful for people
\nliving with HIV, particularly women, who continue to
\nexperience high levels of stigma, fear, and
\nmisinformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cU=U is not just a medical fact, it
\nis a stigma-breaking message that changes lives,\u201d says
\nBruning, National Coordinator at Positive Women Inc. NZ.
\n\u201cFor people living with HIV, stigma can affect every part
\nof life: relationships, parenting, healthcare, employment,
\nand personal safety. Public commitment to U=U helps create
\nthe conditions for dignity, confidence, and
\nwellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. NZ also acknowledges
\nthe leadership of people living with HIV and community
\norganisations, such as Toit\u016b te Ao, Burnett Foundation
\nAotearoa, and Body Positive, as well as the many allies in
\nthe health sector, who have advocated for this commitment
\nfor many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a milestone shaped by the
\npersistence and courage of people with lived experience,\u201d
\nsays Bruning.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n

\u201cWe commend the advocacy that has
\nbrought us here, and we also know that signing a commitment
\nmust be matched by action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. NZ
\nis calling for U=U to be embedded across the health system
\nand public education in ways which are meaningful,
\nequitable, and accessible. This includes:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ensuring
\nall health professionals are trained and confident in
\ncommunicating U=U<\/p>\n

\u2022 Public campaigns that reduce
\nstigma and correct misinformation \u2022 Stronger protections
\nagainst discrimination for people living with HIV<\/p>\n

\u2022
\nAccess to HIV testing, treatment, and support for all
\ncommunities \u2014 including women, M\u0101ori, Pacific peoples,
\nmigrants, refugees, and rural communities.<\/p>\n

\u2022
\nResourcing for community-led organisations who are trusted
\nmessengers of U=U<\/p>\n

While Aotearoa New Zealand has made
\nstrong progress in treatment access and viral suppression,
\nstigma remains a serious barrier, particularly for women,
\nwho may face compounded stigma related to gender, family
\nexpectations, cultural pressures, and fear of violence or
\nrejection.<\/p>\n

\u201cU=U gives people living with HIV the
\nfreedom to live without fear,\u201d says Bruning
\n\u201cBut that freedom only becomes
\nreal when society understands the science, and when people
\nare treated with respect in every setting, especially
\nhealthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. NZ
\nlooks forward to working alongside the Ministry of Health
\nand community partners to ensure U=U is widely understood
\nand reflected in policy, practice, and everyday
\nconversations.<\/p>\n

Positive Women Inc. is an
\norganisation providing support to women and families living
\nwith HIV and aims to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in the
\ncommunity through educational programmes with a focus on
\nprevention and de
\nstigmatisation.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunday, 15 February 2026, 2:19 pmPress Release: Positive Women Positive Women Inc. NZ welcomes today\u2019s announcement that Aotearoa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[29217,158708,24634,6980,134,40159,2830,3523,111,24636,139,69,158707,11112],"class_list":{"0":"post-284764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aids","9":"tag-community-ngo-sector","10":"tag-general-politics","11":"tag-global-health","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-health-policy","14":"tag-hiv","15":"tag-medical","16":"tag-new-zealand","17":"tag-newsworthy","18":"tag-newzealand","19":"tag-nz","20":"tag-positive-women","21":"tag-scoop"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}