Undetectable

Undetectable describes the status of a person living with HIV whose viral load, the amount of virus in the blood, has been suppressed by consistent antiretroviral therapy to a level too low for standard lab tests to detect. Reaching an undetectable viral load is a key goal of HIV care. It protects the person's own health by keeping the immune system strong, and it means the virus cannot be passed to sexual partners. That second point is the basis of the U=U message, Undetectable equals Untransmittable. Being undetectable does not mean HIV is cured; the person stays on treatment and continues regular monitoring to keep the virus suppressed.