WHO is convening a Guideline Development Group (GDG) for the development of evidence-based recommendations on multiplex testing which will establish critical principles for integrated testing and address latest evidence specific to HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Access to timely and accurate diagnostic testing is essential for the prevention, detection, and management of HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. As global health systems increasingly adopt integrated, people-centred service delivery models, multiplex testing has emerged as a promising strategy to improve efficiency, expand testing coverage across diseases, and enhance cost-effectiveness. Multiplex testing is a process that uses one sample and a single assay or platform to detect multiple infections at the same time.
This is the first guideline to incorporate latest evidence and implementation that explicitly addresses multiplex testing. While the guideline will focus largely on application to HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs, it will provide critical principles for integration that drive public health impact and chart the course for further multi-disease testing approaches.
The GDG will meet in virtual meetings, including a meeting planned for 4-5 November 2025. The objective of these meetings will be to provide recommendations and guidance on multiplex testing by providers as well as self-testers, create key principles and address issues of integration and how to prioritize limited resources while achieving public health impact.
Guideline Development Group composition
In accordance with WHO guidelines for developing recommendations , the GDG is composed of members from all WHO regions, serving in their individual capacities rather than as representatives of affiliated organizations. GDG members were selected by WHO technical staff based on their technical expertise, their role as end-users (e.g., programme managers and health-care providers), and their representation of affected communities. Members do not receive financial compensation for their contributions to this process.
Call for public comments
To ensure transparency and inclusivity, WHO invites members of the public and interested organizations to review the biographies of the GDG members
