alt Hacker NewsAre treated patients still contagious?
If so, if a treated patient spreads the virus, will that new patient carry an innoculated virus? Or will they suffer a standard infection?
Replies
Perenti • today at 4:19 AM
I'm pretty sure that if the virus and its DNA are undetectable then you can't spread it. I believe that's how it works with HIV anyway.
➕ show 2 replies
sleepyguy • today at 4:22 AM
A patient that is functionally cured shouldn't pass on the disease. Since it is cleared from the blood and the viral DNA is undetectable, it is not replicating anymore, so it can't be transmitted. They risk is not absolute since the dormant virus is still genetically encoded in the liver.
For now all one can say is transmission is assumed to be dramatically reduced.
The bigger risk is likely that in some the suppression is temporary or transient flares of replication under some circumstances.
The other question is, does this avoid all the sequela of HBV. It seems to reduce risk of cirrhosis atleast.
For hiv, it took many decades to be able to make the clam undetectable = untransmittable using serodiscordant couple studies.