Question
Will my partner be at risk if my viral load is now 600 copies/mL?
5 March 2026. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, HIV transmission, PrEP, Southern Africa.
Hi hope u are good. I I went to my doctor for my check up and my viral load results came back as 600 copies/mL. Can I ask can I pass or infect someone with hiv? I am confused and I don’t understand? I live in South Africa.
Answer
Hi there
Thanks for your question which is a complicated answer.
Technically, with a viral load of 600 there might eb a very small risk of transmission. If the viral load continues to increase though, the risk will also get steadily higher. This is why it would be better to try to get your viral load undetectable again, before relying on ART to protect your partner too.
First, can I ask what your doctor has said about your viral load.
Although 600 is still relatively low, it is high enough for HIV to develop drug resistance, unless it becomes undetectable again.
Your doctor should have talked to you about adherences and whether you were managina to talk all your meds on time. If not, then the doctor should have supported you to get back to a better pattern to not miss meds.
Also, to maybe take your meds with food in case this also helps.
This might be enough for your viral load to be undetectable when you next test in about one month.
If the next test is still detectable, especially if it has increased to higher than 1000 copies/mL, it might be important to use a different treatment.
This will depend on your treatment history, but South Africa has several treatment choices.
All the above information is about managing your viral load for your own health, and this is most important.
But you also asked about whether this level of viral load is a risk to your partner.
The studies showing that HIV meds protect your partner too were based on having a viral load lower than 200. So 600 is a bit higher. Although some studies show that the risk is still very low which viral load is less than 1000, your count might be getting much higher than this, without you realising it.
If, for example, your viral load increases to above 5000 before the next viral load test, then the risk to your partner will also have become higher.
Ideally, it is better to wait until your viral load becomes undetectable again, before relying on U=U.
Your partner could use PrEP though for their own protection, or to use condoms over this time.
Hi Tumi and thanks for getting in touch.
I am very sorry to hear you are struggling with sores
I am very happy to hear you are doing well and responding to the ARVs
From what you are writing my guess is that the sores are herpes
Please don’t worry, this is very uncomfortable but can be managed with medication
Were you treated with acyclovir? If so then this was herpes
If you have often outbreaks, which is not uncommon, even if you are not living with HIV, then you might need to be started on suppressive treatment for a few years.
This means taking acyclovir on a daily basis.
Please discuss this with your doctor who can do a prescription for you.
Hi , I am 34 years old and have been living with the virus since August 2025 , i started treatment right away after i tested positive. I suspected i might be infected when i developed extremely painful sores like cuts inside my vagina lips , a lymph node under my ear and a sore through. I went to the clinic was treated for these symptoms but no bloods were taken to determine what std this was. I then started taking arvs , a month later the sores came back and i went to the clinic and was treated and they healed. Its been 8 months now and i still get the sores almost every month and they sometimes develop next to my anus. Im worried they wont go away . How can i make the go away for good? I dont want to infect the next person if im to start a relationship since im now single. I dont know the exact cd4 count but the nurses at the clinic said its good and im responding well to arvs , my worry is these sores.
Hello Josh and thanks for getting in touch.
I am very sorry to hear that your care is not what it should be.
Well done to you for looking for information and trying to be up to date with current developments.
I would say that the best HIV treatment is a medication that is effective and gets you undetectable without causing any (or at least significant) side effects.
Please take a look here for available ARVs:
https://i-base.info/guides/starting/arvs
If you have more specific questions please contact us here:
questions@i-base.org.uk
What is the best combination of a HIV patient. I am writing from Nigeria where medical service is inappropriate and inadequate.
Hello David and thanks for getting in touch.
You should use PrEP to prevent HIV before sex, not PEP
You can read more about this here:
https://i-base.info/pep-and-prep/
Can i use PEP before sex to prevent HIV infection