Question
My viral load is 20, is this OK?
24 February 2017. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Been on Atripla for 6 years now ,
went for my regular test ,got my results today and CD4 is on 900 but VL is less than 20 copies am very worried as it is usually undetectable.
what can i do to make sure it gets undetectable again?
Answer
Thanks for getting a touch.
The classification for an undetectable viral load is less than 50 copies. Therefore, you are still undetectable because your viral load is less than this. You’re doing well, and have nothing to worry about.
my VL was less than 150 copies at baseline.is it ok?
Hi Jay,
A viral load of less than 50 is classified as being undetectable. Yours is 22, so your HIV is under control. You’re doing really well.
My viral is 22. Is this alright?
Hi Ronald,
There’s nothing to worry about here. Your partners viral load is still undetectable as its below 50.
My partner was diagnosed with full blown Aids in 2014 and I was diagnosed with HIV we both started taking the same meds at same time. I emediately became undetectable and my viral load became undetectable and stayed at about 15 to 20 on that. My partner how ever he became undetectable emediately and stayed between 15 to to also on that but it also took us a minute to get his T Cells back up over 200 but it’s been 5 years we haven’t missed a day of our meds and we take them at the same time every day. Now my partner’s T Cells are over three hundred but his viral load is starting to go up in fact the jumped to 30. What does this mean I know it’s still undetectable but why would his viral load be going up instead of staying between 15 to 20?
Hi Sandra,
It means that your HIV is under control and you’re doing really well. It also means that you can’t transmit HIV when having sex without a condom.
Went to the clinic and was told that my VL is 10,what does it mean?
Hi Lulu,
I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. There is no reason, related to HIV, that you cannot get married. Please see this Q&A for more info.
I have been tested HIV positive and my VL is below 20.Will i get married since im positive
Hi Overton,
Congratulations on getting married!
It’s great your viral load is only 53. Has it been 53 or below for a long time. How long have you been taking ART. And what meds are you taking.
As you know the cut-off used for undetectable is 50 copies/mL. But an important point about Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) is viral load must be stable and undetectable. Most people will take a few months to get to undetectable on ART.
But then the guidelines at the moment say that for U=U to be 100% you need to be undetectable for six months. But this is likely to be cautious. Future guidelines might reduce this to a month or two.
Here’s more info on U=U.
And a Q&A Does viral load need to be undetectable for six months for U=U.