Brief Report: Self-Reported HIV-Positive Status but Subsequent HIV-Negative Test Results in Population-Based HIV...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Early diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is crucial for timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• This study analyzes data from Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment surveys in 11 countries (2015-2018).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of self-reported HIV-positive status against laboratory-confirmed results.
• To identify characteristics of individuals who self-reported HIV-positive but tested HIV-negative.

Main Methods:

• Interviews with participants (≥15 years) regarding HIV testing history and self-reported status.
• Home-based HIV testing and counseling with rapid diagnostic tests.
• Laboratory-based confirmatory testing (Geenius HIV-1/2, DNA PCR) for all self-reported HIV-positive individuals.

Main Results:

• Out of 16,630 self-reported HIV-positive participants, 1.4% (198) tested HIV-negative.
• Individuals testing negative were younger (<30 years), less likely to have received ART, and less likely to have had a CD4 test.

Conclusions:

• A proportion of self-reported HIV-positive individuals lack laboratory confirmation, potentially due to misdiagnosis or misunderstanding.
• Ensuring quality HIV testing and diagnosis confirmation is vital as universal ART access expands.