Q: Is the HIV test done on paper membrane/strip in private laboratories accurate? How much percentage is the accuracy? If somebody has been tested on the strip for two times and result is negative, is there risk involved of having HIV?

A:The strip test is equivalent in sensitivity and specificity to FDA-licensed ELISAs. Their specificity is not affected by potential interferents and they recognise both HIV-1 and HIV-2. The sensitivity for seroconversion and low titer specimens is comparable to FDA-licensed ELISAs.