Viral load for HIV is a measure of the amount or quantity of HIV present in 1 ml of blood.
This is used to monitor the goal of therapy when a person is taking anti-retroviral therapy for HIV. With the therapy, the viral load should become undetectable over a period of time. This is the time when a person becomes safe for themselves and will also not transmit HIV to anyone else through sexual contact.


The other measure for monitoring the well being of an HIV positive person is the CD4 count. This indirectly measures the immunity of a person to fight infections. The higher the viral load, the faster CD4 count will fall. With undetectable viral load, the CD4 count is expected to be normal.