HIV self-testing (HIVST) has the potential to increase coverage of HIV testing, but concerns exist about intended users’ ability to correctly perform and interpret tests, especially in poor communities with low literacy rates. We assessed the clinical performance of the 2016 prototype OraQuick® HIV Self-Test in rural and urban communities in Zambia to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the test compared to the national HIV rapid diagnostic test (RDT) algorithm and a laboratory reference standard using 4th generation enzyme immunoassays and HIV RNA detection.
This paper is part of a series of articles from BMC Infectious Diseases Volume 22 Supplement 1: Innovating with HIV self-testing for impact in Southern Africa: Lessons learned from the STAR (Self-Testing AfRica) Initiative. This supplement is a collaborative effort between Population Services International (PSI), the World Health Organization, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and other members of the STAR Consortium. It presents significant achievements and insights gained from the introduction, scale-up, and optimization of self-testing.