Discordant HIV Test Results: Implications on Perinatal and Haemotransfusion Screening for HIV Infection, Cape Coast, Ghana

Screening results of 488 pregnant women aged 15–44 years whose blood samples had been tested on-site, using First Response® HIV 1/2, and confirmed with INNO-LIA™ HIV I/II Score were used. Of this total, 178 were reactive (HIV I, 154; HIV II, 2; and HIV I and HIV II, 22). Of the 154 HIV I-reactive samples, 104 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 2 were confirmed to be HIV II-positive, while 48 were confirmed to be negative [false positive rate = 17.44% (13.56–21.32)]. The two HIV II samples submitted were confirmed to be negative with the confirmatory test. For the 22 HIV I and HIV II samples, 7 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 1 was confirmed to be HIV I- and HIV II-positive, while 14 were confirmed to be negative. Of the 310 nonreactive samples, 6 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 1 was confirmed to be HIV II-positive [false negative rate = 5.79% (1.63–8.38)], while 303 were negative. False negative outcomes will remain unconfirmed, with no management options for the client. False negative rate of 5.79% requires attention, as its resultant implications on control of HIV/AIDS could be dire.