What is antiretroviral therapy?

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves drugs that treat infection by retroviruses, such as HIV.

If someone who is HIV positive uses ART correctly, it is possible for their viral load to be undetectable.

What is viral load?

Viral load is the amount of HIV in someone's blood.

The amount of HIV in a person's blood is usually measured by a test that shows the number of 'copies' of HIV in one millilitre of blood. 

Does viral load vary?

Yes, for example, other sexually transmitted infections can increase viral load.

How can ART help prevent HIV transmission?

If someone's viral load is undetectable, they do not have any other sexually transmitted infections and they practise safer sex, the chances of them transmitting HIV are very low.

Helping people living with HIV to use ART effectively is one way of preventing the spread of HIV.

What is positive prevention?

Positive prevention is about helping HIV positive people:

• protect their sexual health
• avoid other sexually transmitted infections
• delay HIV and AIDS disease progression
• avoid transmitting HIV to others