When a person living with HIV begins an antiretroviral treatment regimen, their viral load drops. For almost everyone who starts taking their HIV medication daily as prescribed, viral load will drop to an undetectable level in six months or less .
Can you become detectable after being undetectable?
It may take between a week to several weeks after stopping HIV treatment for HIV to become detectable again, but people will see the levels of virus in their body go up to detectable levels.
Can you go from undetectable to detectable?
If someone has an undetectable viral load, it does not mean they are cured of HIV. If they stop taking HIV treatment, their viral load will increase and become detectable again. But having an undetectable viral load does mean that there is not enough HIV in their body fluids to pass HIV on during sex .
CDC Agrees That Person with Undetectable HIV Cannot Transmit the Virus . The agency has adopted the widely accepted position that an HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus through unprotected sex. If you can’t detect it, you can’t transmit it.
Can you stop being undetectable?
Some people face challenges that make it hard to stick to a treatment plan. A few people cannot get an undetectable viral load even though they take HIV medicine as prescribed. If your viral load is not undetectable—or does not stay undetectable—you can still protect your partners by using other prevention options.
Does undetectable mean Untransmittable?
People cannot pass HIV through sex when they have undetectable levels of HIV. This prevention method is estimated to be 100% effective as long as the person living with HIV takes their medication as prescribed and gets and stays undetectable. This concept known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Antibodies are still present in individuals living with HIV—even people who have suppressed their viral load. That means people living with HIV will still test positive for HIV on an antibody HIV test even if their viral load is undetectable.
This is called viral suppression—defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood . HIV medicine can even make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it. This is called an undetectable viral load.
What is the normal CD4 count for a healthy person?
A normal CD4 count ranges from 500–1,200 cells/mm 3 in adults and teens. In general, a normal CD4 count means that your immune system is not yet significantly affected by HIV infection. A low CD4 count indicates that your immune system has been affected by HIV and/or the disease is progressing.
Can an undetectable person donate blood?
“The concept of ‘undetectable equals untransmittable’ for sexual contact is very important from a public health perspective, but may not apply to donated blood because a transfused unit of blood is a much larger volume than would occur from body fluid exposure during sex,” Custer said.
Should I go on PrEP if my partner is undetectable?
PrEP and/ or condoms are not necessary to prevent HIV when the sexual partner has an undetectable viral load. Having an undetectable viral load, using PrEP and using condoms are all HIV prevention strategies that people can choose to use alone or in combination.
Is Undetectable the same as negative?
In the world of HIV, is being undetectable the new “HIV negative”? The virus has not been eliminated even though it’s not detectable . And yet, at an undetectable level, the concentration of the virus is so minute it doesn’t pack the same wallop as an untethered, rapidly multiplying HIV viral load. HIV is the culprit.
What are the symptoms of low CD4 count?
Symptoms may include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, weight loss, night sweats and fatigue . It is most likely to occur when the CD4+ T cell count falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood.
How long can you live with a low CD4 count?
A person’s CD4 count at the start of treatment remains one of the strongest indicators of life expectancy. The life expectancy between those whose CD4 count is less than 200 at the start of treatment is 8 years less than those whose count is over 200 at the same time.
How often should CD4 count be checked?
Your doctor should do a CD4 test every three to six months during the first year or two of treatment.
How long should I take PrEP after exposure?
Generally speaking, cis-gender men taking on-demand PrEP should continue taking the PrEP medication for at least 2 days after any possible exposure. Anyone taking daily PrEP should continue taking the medication for 28 days after the last possible exposure.
