Question

Is my viral load undetectable after 5 months?

1 August 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.

Hi, I am taking HIV medicines for 5 months now. Is my viral load undetectable?

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Hi

Thanks – this is a very important question.

The only way you can know if your viral load is undetectable, is to have a viral load test.

Please ask your doctor if you can have this test. Although viral load is common in most countries, some countries do not have this technology yet.

If this is the case in your country, then although you could easily have an undetectable viral load, there is no way to show this yet.

The only way you could guess about viral load would be if your CD4 count continues to increase over the first year or so – AND if you are currently good at taking you meds. This is not a guarantee though, just a best guess that your meds are still working.

If your CD4 count have been steadily increasing for more than two years, you would be even more likely to have an undetectable viral load.

This is because if viral load doesn’t become detectable, the CD4 count is likely to fall again. Also, most people who get undetectable on their first treatment, stay undetectable for many years – so long as they are taking their meds.

This is why many activists are demanding that viral load tests should be a part of health care in all countries, even if this is just once a year.