If you are not on treatment

As the table 1 (shown previously) indicates, there's a big difference in the risk of developing AIDS between having a low viral load of 5,000 compared with a high viral load of 50,000, even when you have a CD4 count above 500.

If your CD4 cell count is between 350 and 200 and is falling quickly, you should attend your clinic every month or possibly weekly for closer monitoring, because a fast decline in CD4 cell count indicates a higher risk of AIDS-related illness.

Even if your CD4 count is currently above 500, it is a good idea for you to attend your clinic for viral load testing every three to six months, and to get the results back quickly.

If you are about to start treatment

Get two 'baseline' viral load measurements before starting, so that later you will be able to see just how well your treatment has worked.

If you have started treatment

It is possible to get an indication of how well your combination therapy is working by testing your viral load after a month or so, and again after three months of treatment. Subsequent tests should occur every twelve weeks. Additional tests may be needed from time to time, for example if you develop symptoms. You should get these results within a week if they are to provide an accurate picture of the current effect of your treatment. The level your viral load has reached at these points usually predicts how long this particular combination will keep your viral load low, or undetectable.

The initial fall in viral load after four months is also an accurate indicator of how much benefit you'll get from this combination in the next few years, in terms of a reduced risk of developing AIDS or further illness. The greater the fall in viral load at this point, the better your outlook in the medium to long term.

If you have just had an increase in viral load on treatment

Another test should be carried out within two to four weeks to confirm this result. You should always have viral load and CD4 counts tested at the same time.