Many studies have been conducted worldwide with thousands of participants. The results show that an HIV-infected person who is taking ART and has undetectable levels of the virus in their blood is safe.

Provided that:

  • the person strictly adheres to the treatment regimen;
  • has undetectable viral levels for more than six months;
  • does not take breaks from taking the medication.

But this does not mean that you should stop using condoms. ART does not prevent the transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases. If you are not sure that your partner has undetectable levels of the virus, use condoms or take daily medications that prevent HIV infection (pre-exposure prophylaxis).

In addition, if the T-system does not see the virus in the blood, it does not mean that the virus is not in the patient’s body at all.

If the viral load is undetectable, it is below the threshold that the T-system can detect. For example, if the sensitivity of the T-system is 40 and the viral load is 42, it will show it, but 38 will not. If it’s 20, it will show 22 copies of viral particles per milliliter of blood, but not 18-15. That is, we cannot say that there is zero.

There are also bursts of viral load that are not monitored in the laboratory. They are called blips.

For example, a person has a viral infection, or has inflammatory processes of the genitals, or took a pill at 10-11 o’clock instead of 9 o’clock. Because of this, more viral particles may appear in the blood at a low concentration of the drug.

Do I need to be examined after receiving the treatment regimen

Two weeks after ART is prescribed, the patient is examined again to see how the body is tolerating the treatment regimen. A month later, the patient undergoes another check-up to detect side effects.

After three months, the patient’s body is checked again. And if in the first year of taking ART and under the condition of responsible treatment, there are no side effects, and the viral load is not determined, the patient is examined once a year in the future.

If an adverse reaction occurs at any stage of ART, the doctor responds to this: the treatment regimen is adjusted or the drug that causes such an effect is replaced.