Routine blood tests, particularly advanced fourth-generation laboratory assays, are highly sensitive for detecting established HIV infections, but rapid or point-of-care screening tests can miss cases during early seroconversion or primary infection.
Routine blood tests detect most established HIV infections, though rapid screening tests can miss cases during early infection.
The claim states that routine blood tests detect all types of HIV. While standard fourth-generation laboratory assays and NAT screens have near-perfect sensitivity for established HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections, evidence demonstrates that rapid screening tests and tests performed during the acute/primary infection window (early seroconversion) have reduced sensitivity and can produce false negatives. Thus, the claim is contested because performance depends heavily on the specific testing modality and the stage of infection.