Former HIV/AIDS ambassador, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah has revealed that though she is still a carrier of the HIV virus, she cannot infect others with the virus even she engages in unprotected sex.
According to Ms. Dzidzor Mensah, her HIV/AIDS viral load has been suppressed and is now undetectable due to the antiretroviral treatment she is receiving and thus, it cannot be transmitted to another person.
She claimed she has had sex numerously with her European boyfriend without any form of protection as health officials affirmed that she is incapable of transmitting the virus to her partners.
Ms. Dzidzor Mensah said despite her current status, she is careful not to go about engaging in unprotected sex since she will be at risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases.
“My status is HIV 1 and my HIV viral is undetectable now. It means I can’t infect anybody with the virus. These are technical issues that the ordinary Ghanaian cannot understand. I have had sex countless times with my white boyfriend without using condom or any form of protection, but he isn’t infected because I don’t have anything that can be transmitted to him.
The viral load is zero so there is no way he can get infected. So even if I say I don’t have HIV/AIDS, I may be right. I once went to the hospital with my boyfriend and the doctor told him he doesn’t need condom to have sex with me because it is safe. And there is no way a medical officer will give such an advice if I really can infect anybody with HIV. But it doesn’t mean I can go about having unprotected sex. I can contract other STDs like syphilis, chlamydia if I become that careless. So I’m very careful,” she stated.
She said this in justification of her claim in 2019 that she had been cured of the virus. Ms. Dzidzor Mensah had claimed that she tested negative for HIV/AIDS after earlier testing positive for the virus.
But the latest test conducted on her on live television indicated that she is positive for the virus. Speaking on the issue on Angel TV, Ms. Dzidzor Mensah said she was not wrong to say she had been cured of the virus since she can no longer infect others.
