what does viral load mean

Viral load is a term used to describe the amount of virus in a given volume of fluid, including biological and environmental specimens. It is often expressed as the number of viral particles per milliliter of blood or other fluid, depending on the type of assay used. A higher viral load often correlates with the severity of an active viral infection, and tracking viral load is used to monitor therapy during chronic viral infections. For example, in the case of HIV, viral load testing is used to measure the amount of virus in a persons blood and to monitor the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy. A negative or undetectable viral load means that the person has so little virus in their blood that the test cant find it, which means that their treatment is working well to protect their immune system and they are unlikely to spread the virus through sex. On the other hand, a high viral load means that the virus is growing and the treatment is not working well, which increases the risk of infections and diseases related to a weak immune system.