What happens if HIV or hepatitis C shows in my DBS test result?
What happens if HIV shows in my DBS HIV test result?
If the DBS HIV test shows HIV in your blood, you will need to have a standard blood test to confirm HIV infection. A nurse will call you and tell you where you can go for a standard HIV test. The nurse will also contact you again within 7 days of being given your result to ask if you need any more assistance or support.
What happens if hepatitis C shows in my DBS test result?
If the DBS test shows hepatitis C in your blood, you will need to have a standard blood test to confirm current infection. A nurse will call you and tell you where you can go for a standard hepatitis C test. A nurse will also contact you again within 7 days of being given your result to ask if you need any more assistance or support.
How accurate is the DBS test?
How accurate is the DBS HIV test?
Overall, DBS tests are very accurate. In people with HIV infection, the DBS HIV test will be correct more than 99 times out of every 100 tests.
The DBS test may not be able to detect HIV for up to 12 weeks after a person has been infected. This is called the ‘window period’ where a very small number of tests can give a ‘false negative result’. This means the test result can be negative even if a person has HIV infection.
A very small number of tests can also give a ‘false positive result’, which means the test result is positive, but the person does not have HIV infection. This is clarified through further testing.
How accurate is the DBS hepatitis C test?
Overall, DBS tests are very accurate, close to 100% accuracy.
A very small number of tests can also give a ‘false positive result’, which means the test result is positive, but the person does not have hepatitis C infection. This is clarified through further testing.