False positives and false negatives refer to the test’s accuracy in diagnosing flu types. A false
positive occurs when a test incorrectly indicates the presence of the flu, while a false negative
happens when the test fails to detect the flu even though it’s present.
At AFC Urgent Care, our Rapid Flu Test is highly reliable. For flu type A, the test has a sensitivity
of 96.3%, meaning there’s a 3.7% chance of a false negative, where the test may miss the flu if it’s
present. Conversely, the specificity is 97.4%, indicating a 2.6% chance of a false positive, where the
test might incorrectly suggest the presence of flu type A when it’s not there.
For flu type B, the test is even more precise, boasting 100% sensitivity, so there’s no risk of a false
positive, and only a 2.9% chance of a false negative. This means that while the test is excellent at
detecting flu type B, there is a small chance it might not detect the flu if it’s present.