Consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services

Overview

These consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services (HTS) bring together existing and new guidance on HTS across different settings and populations.

In this guideline, WHO updates recommendation on HIV self-testing (HIVST) and provides new recommendations on social network-based HIV testing approaches and western blotting. This guideline seeks to provide support to Member States, programme managers, health workers and other stakeholders seeking to achieve national and international goals to end the HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

These guidelines also provide operational guidance on HTS demand creation and messaging; implementation considerations for priority populations; HIV testing strategies for diagnosis HIV; optimizing the use of dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests; and considerations for strategic planning and rationalizing resources such as optimal time points for maternal retesting.