Question
My viral load is zero, does this mean I’m negative?
16 September 2018. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
I was tested positive 1 year back with a CD4 count of 310. After 3 months the CD4 went up to 540 and now after exactly a year it is 640.
I never got a viral load test before i started my treatment in the beginning but when i got a test now a year after medication the test results say Zero count. Is this possible? Or can it be due to an error in the test? How accurate can these results be?
If the count of 0 viral load is possible is there any chance that i could actually be HIV negative?
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
Viral loads aren’t usually given as a zero, but it is common to be “undetectable”. This is a good thing and it is the main goal of HIV treatment (ART).
Do you have a copy of the viral load test?
Might they have said that its simply undetectable?
Having an undetectable of zero viral load does not mean you are HIV negative. If you were to do another HIV antibody test it would come back as being positive.
Given that your CD4 count was 310 when you were diagnosed, I’d say that its very unlikely that you’re HIV negative. It is much more likely that the treatment is working well and this has increased it to 640.
Hi C – great that your viral load is now undetectable. This shows your meds are working really well. HIV test will still always be positive though because they test for immune responses and not viral load.
My viral load is undetectable now. Does this mean if I take an HIV test the result will now be negative?
Hi Rohan, this service is not for people worried about HIV but this link has more info to answer your Qs:
https://i-base.info/qa/11844
It sounds like you are negative until any positive results is confirmed with a laboratory test.
An undetectable viral load means that the positive test might be wrong.
Me and my wife have all hiv symptoms. I did hiv antibody test after 3month (90days) which is negative for both of us. But my antigen antibody is positive also my viral load is not detected. Could you please suggest if viral load is undetectable then why I am getting all symptoms. Will art work and eliminate all symptoms.
Hi Aly, PCR tests are not used to test for HIV – pls see:
https://i-base.info/qa/11844