HIV/AIDS Glossary

When the amount of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected with a viral load (HIV RNA) test. A person's viral load is considered "durably undetectable" when it remains undetectable for at least 6 months after a first undetectable test result. Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs may reduce a person's viral load to an undetectable level; however, that does not mean the person is cured. Some HIV, in the form of latent HIV reservoirs, remains inside cells and in body tissues.