Understanding the HIV Viral Load and Antibodies
We often think tend to think that if someone gets infected with HIV, the number of HI viruses will slowly increase until the person's death. This is not the case. Immediately after a person has been infected, the virus multiplies very quickly in the blood. Within a few days there will be a million HI viruses per milliliter of blood. This implies that there is now a very high concentration of the HI virus in the person's blood. We also call this a high viral load.
About a week to ten days after having been infected, the person's body starts producing antibodies. These antibodies are designed by the body to attach only to the HI virus and basically operate like mini-landmines. They attach to newly formed HI viruses and "blow up" the viruses. Partly as a result of this, there is a severe drop in the initial high concentration of viruses. The antibodies remain in the blood in high concentrations.
During the next eight to ten years the viral load remains at a relatively low concentration of between 1000 to 10000 viral copies per milliliter. During the following two to three years the virus starts winning the battle in the body and the viral load increases dramatically. This is the stage at which AIDS starts to develop, and at which the person starts to become sick.
Note: Information was taken from the "Channels of Hope" manual. I am so sorry if there are topics in between that are not related to each other for sometimes I really need to write my thoughts and feelings about how's going on with my Christian walk.
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