title: Reducing False-Positive HIV Diagnosis in Niger: A Women's Issue.
abstract: The entry into both HIV care and secondary prevention is first through the knowledge of one's own HIV status. Testing for HIV remains challenging in countries where clinicians rely on rapid testing algorithms because the routine use of confirmatory Western blot technology is unavailable. In this case report, we describe the case of a pregnant woman in Niger, who was falsely labeled as HIV positive during prenatal visits. We also describe our clinical algorithm that was developed to facilitate retesting in patients who initially tested HIV positive or indeterminant with rapid diagnostic tests. Vigilance is necessary to ensure that appropriate identification and treatment of HIV is provided to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, to appropriately allocate resources, and to avoid falsely labeling patients with HIV.
authors.affiliation: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Simoncini
authors.affiliation: SIM Galmi Hospital, Galmi, Niger.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Megill
authors.affiliation: Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA mary.vandenberg-wolf@jefferson.edu.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van den Berg-Wolf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009548:Niger; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People
keywords: HIV; MTCT HIV; RDT HIV; resource-limited setting; women and HIV