Before You Trust That HIV or STI Test Result, Check For This Number — Medical Laboratory Scientist Warns Nigerians

Home STI testing is growing in Nigeria. A medical laboratory scientist explains what to look for before you buy.

More Nigerians are choosing to screen for STIs at home, for the privacy and the convenience. But a result is only as reliable as the kit that produced it, and many buyers are checking the wrong things.

Most people know to look for NAFDAC registration. Fewer know about the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), which evaluates diagnostic kits for performance, including sensitivity (how well a kit detects infection) and specificity (how well it avoids false alarms).

“A nice package or a bold accuracy claim is not proof,” says Okoro Chinaza, a medical laboratory scientist. “Before you trust a result, ask whether the kit has been validated.”

The stakes are real. A kit that performs poorly can give a false negative, which leaves you falsely reassured and may lead you to skip care or put a partner at risk. It can also give a false positive, which causes weeks of unnecessary fear.

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How to check a kit before you buy

1. Look for the NAFDAC registration number on the pack.
2. Look for an MLSCN reference number. It should be printed on the packaging or the leaflet. If there isn’t one, ask the seller for proof.
3. Confirm it with the source. Ask the seller for documentation, or contact the Council directly.
4. Match the kit to your need. Check which infections it screens for, what sample it uses, and how long to wait before reading the result

Some kits on the Nigerian market that have been reported to carry MLSCN validation include the Abbott HIV test, the Promed Hepatitis B test, and Venchecker, a 4-in-1 rapid kit that screens for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C from a single blood sample.

Even a validated kit has limits

Screening kits are not diagnoses. A reactive result should always be confirmed with laboratory testing. And a recent exposure may not show up during the window period, so a negative result soon after a risky encounter may need a repeat test.

“Your health deserves more than guesswork,” says Chinaza. “Check for the MLSCN number, read the leaflet, and confirm any reactive result in a laboratory.”