Can I be an "HIV carrier" while I remain HIV negative?

That is, can I pass HIV on to others while I myself remain uninfected?

Short answer: No.

Disease "carriers" have a disease inside their body—living, surviving, and replicating. While the carrier might or might not ever get sick from the disease, they can pass the disease on to someone else.

In the case of HIV, before going on PrEP, people are checked to make sure they do not have HIV. The daily dose of Truvada then creates a mechanism—think of it as a shield—that prevents HIV from surviving in that person's body. Truvada prevents HIV from making itself “part” of that person's body. It keeps them HIV-negative.

As long as you are HIV-negative, you cannot pass HIV along to someone else.

Revised 17 January 2019 — Give feedback on this page