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 Zandile,
Covid vaccines don’t cause false positive. However, if you think the result might be incorrect please have another test.
If you have another positive test, get back in touch with us and we’ll be able to help.
I just tested Positive for HIV. And I recently got vaccinated for Covid-19. Can flu vaccines causes false positive results?
Hi River,
Your CD4 is perfectly fine, it’s the same as a negative persons.
A viral load of 125,000 isn’t actaully that high, this is because viral loads can be in the millions.
Now that you know your status, if you’re started medication your viral load will have begun to drop. There’s info here about this:
https://i-base.info/guides/starting
Hi, I tested positive for HIV and my CD4 count was above 500 and Viral load was very High.
Like above 125000. What does this mean
Hi Ester,
Your baby should have been given a short course of ARVs, do you know why she wasn’t given any?
It’s good that she’s had a negative test, so know for sure what her status is you’ll need to wait until she’s 18 months old. Please see here:
https://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/hiv-negative
Hi I was tested positive during my ANC last year and started my ARV and my viral load is undetectable.i gave birth and the doctors didn’t give any medicine to my baby.i have been breastfeeding and this year I went for my baby’ s testing and results came negative. Do I still need to do testing for her again
Hi Pedro,
Please see here: https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/ There is no risk.
Hi I had unprotected sex with a lady that is positive.. she only told me of her status a week after our encounter.. she showed me her results and her viral load was 0 or undetectable.. she maintains that this means that she is not infectious.. could this be possible?
Hi Thembile,
If you’re asking if the ARVs that you’re now taking can have an impact on your heart, the answer is, it’s highly unlikely as ARVs don’t do this. If you’ve a heart problem, this will need to be discussed with your doctor.
Hi I was 13 weeks pregnant and tested negative i did have any sexual encounter until week 26 of pregnancy. Then I test again it was positive and given arvs on the same day. I did not take but I had I knew I have to be on a safe side, I had a cd4 count of 812, without symptoms and not even morning sickness, now in a month I’m undectable, my pregnancy is having complications since on ARVs which never happened before my heart is is havinh silver fluid so the echo test showed, yet I was OK emotionally and accepted the situation. What is your take on the issue