Are HIV test strips accurate?

Generally, HIV test strips are highly accurate, but they cannot replace a doctor's diagnosis. If you have engaged in high-risk behavior or have doubts about the test results, you should promptly consult a doctor or visit a medical facility for comprehensive testing and counseling. Detailed analysis is as follows:

HIV test strips are convenient and rapid self-testing tools that detect HIV antibodies or antigens in blood, saliva, or urine to preliminarily determine whether a person is infected with HIV. After the window period, the accuracy rate of a single use of an HIV test strip is generally between 95% and 97%. If testing is repeated or performed multiple times using different brands of test strips, the accuracy can increase to over 99%.

However, the accuracy of test strips can be affected by various factors, such as the quality of the test strips, the correctness of the procedure, and proper sample collection and storage. HIV test strips may produce false-positive or false-negative results.

False positives may be caused by other diseases or immune responses, while false negatives may occur during the early stages of infection when the body has not yet produced sufficient levels of antibodies or antigens.

Therefore, if the test strip result is positive or suspected positive, it cannot directly confirm HIV infection. It is necessary to visit a hospital or disease control center as soon as possible for further blood tests, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or nucleic acid testing, to confirm the diagnosis.