Effect of sample management on quantitative HIV-1 viral load measurement at Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Plasma separated at 24hrs, stored at 2-8°C for 15 days or freeze-thawed for four cycles had significant effect on HIV viral load level. However, the differences were not clinically significant at a cut-off viral load level of 0.5 log copies/ml. Avoiding delays to plasma separation beyond 24 hrs, storing at 2-8°C for 15 days and freeze-thawing for no more than 4 cycles is recommended to improve the result quality.