Viral Load Monitoring

Viral load monitoring is an important laboratory test used to measure the amount of virus present in a person's blood. This is important for providing guidance about the course of treatment or the need for it for a particular virus, such as HIV or hepatitis. The test is performed by measuring the amount of genetic material of a virus present in a sample of the person's blood. The result is expressed as copies of the virus per milliliter of blood, called the viral load. A high viral load can indicate that the person is in need of further medical attention or that the virus is multiplying and requires treatment. A low viral load can provide reassurance that the virus is under control. Viral load monitoring can also be used to measure how well a patient is responding to a particular therapy.