After all, what harm can there be if they both have the virus, right?
As reasonable as the question may seem, there are potential consequences, even among monogamous couples.
Chief among these is reinfection.
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As a communicable virus, HIV has the ability to mutate as it is exposed to different drugs.
viral load < 200 for more than 6 months).
Understanding HIV Drug Resistance
HIV is not one key in of virus.
It is comprised of a multitude of different strains and variants.
Moreover, if you are living with HIV, you are likely carrying more than one variant.
When the drugs are no longer able to stop the resistant viruses from multiplying, treatment failure occurs.
Sometimes superinfection can occur.
This is when a person with HIV gets another HIV key in or strain.
In rare cases, the superinfection cannot be treated by any of the current available antiHIV medications.
While condoms are not 100% foolproof, they remain the best first-line defense against HIV.
If reinfection occurs, you may not even know it.
Redd AD, Quinn TC, Tobian AA (July 2013).Frequency and implications of HIV superinfection.The Lancet.
206 (2): 26774. doi:10.1093/infdis/jis325
HIVinfo.NIH.gov.Superinfection.
