What is a Viral Load test?
A viral load test is generally done to measures the amount of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in blood. HIV targets and destroys specific cells of the immune system, namely CD4 cells, The latter are responsible for fighting against disease-causing germs, such as bacteria and viruses. Thus, a drop in CD4 count makes one prone to infections.
A viral load test is also adviced to people with hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other infections for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment provided for these conditions and for measuring the amount of these disease-causing viruses in the bloodstream.
A CD4 test might be ordered along with this test to measure immune system strength.