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 I need to know if I’m doing the home test and I’m undetectable how will my results show as when your positive is 2 stripes negative 1 stripes so for undetectable which vision does it shows
Hi John, you should not be testing negative after treatment. Treatment does not cause tests to become negative. If you are testing negative it means that you do not have HIV. Have you had your viral load and CD4 tested before? It would be possible to start someone on treatment with a false positive though this is a very rare case.
Hey guys, I have been on ARVs for seven years and now it’s one year since I stopped taking it. But still test negative and my viral load since day one tested were U=U.is it possible to put someone on medication due to false positives?
Hi Joginder, TND means target not detected. This means that your viral load is suppressed low enough that it cannot be detected by a test. It does not always mean zero e.g., some tests cannot detect below 20. It does mean that you are undetectable and that treatment is working.
Hi Guys,
I have tested 2021-2022 viral load reports comes TND its means zero…or negative.
HI Tanka, are you on treatment?
Hi Erry, this is excellent. This means that your treatment is working and HIV is being suppressed. As your viral load is undetectable it means you cannot pass on HIV to someone else via sex. This is called U=U: https://i-base.info/guides/testing/uu-undetectable-untransmittable
.2years showing zero viral load.is it a good sign
Hi Hope, yes it is very likely your viral load will be undetectable after a year of ART. Often being undetectable can happen as quickly as one month after starting.
Unfortunately how HIV tests work, regardless if you are undetectable, the tests will remain HIV positive.
Good day,
Can I be undetectable after a year of my ART drugs and if am undetectable will my HIV test result shows Nagetive? I know am still positive