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How often are HIV-test results wrong?

I’ve seen on movies and TV that doctors sometimes get test results mixed up. I’ve also heard that sometimes the results of an HIV test can come back wrong, how often does this happen? How accurate are the tests?

The process here in South Africa is of the highest standard worldwide. I have personally not heard of cases where the results were mixed up. Nowadays, the rapid test is offered and the results are available to a person within 15 minutes. The test kit is opened in front of you and the test is taken in your presence, making it impossible to have results mixed up.

However, while the HIV tests are very accurate, there have been instances where the rapid test has come back with a false positive. So, if a rapid test comes back positive, the healthcare worker will recommend a blood test to make sure that the test is indeed positive.

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