📌Read; Viral tests used have lowerbounds of detection. Think of an ordinary bathroom scale. You stand on it, and it measures your weight. You put a feather on it, and nothing. But does that mean there is no weight on the scale. Sure, there is a weight—it’s just below the detectable threshold.

Of course undetectable HIV has important clinical and practical significance. Clinical because whatever medications the person is taking are working well. Practically, people who are undetectable can no longer transmit the virus. Both are good things in the fight against HIV.

Having said that undetetable typically only lasts as long as the person continues to take medications. In a very small subset, there are credible reports that off those antivirals, they still remain undetctable. So that’s more good news about “undetectable.” This small group are now being researched —why are these people staying undetectable and can this be done for others.