Pharmacies in the United Kingdom have started selling the first HIV self-test kits. According to BBC, these do not need to be brought to the laboratory for the results, as it can be easily determined after 15 minutes.
The test kits, manufactured by Bio Sure UK, costs about £29.95 and may also be bought on the Internet. Using it is as easy as using a pregnancy test kit, but instead of a urine sample, the device analyzes a drop of blood for antibodies that may indicate the presence of a virus. The device comes with a lancet used to prick the fingertip.
Positive show two purple lines on the stick. Negative results require follow up tests for the next 3 months following exposure. And a visit to a health professional must still be in order.
Health groups and charitable organizations hope these user-friendly kits will help to reveal undiagnosed cases. At the moment, there are at least 26,000 estimated cases in the U.K. alone.
"We campaigned for a long time to secure the legalization of HIV self-test kits, which happened in April 2014. So it is great to see the first self-test kits being approved," said Dr. Rosemary Gillespie of the Terrence Higgins Trust, in the BBC report.
"However, it is important to make sure people can get quick access to support when they get their result," she added.
"The main concern is that people will take the test at home without access to support. There could also be people who take the test and get a positive result and then don't follow it up and get the help they need. There is also a concern about the cost of the test, which might exclude people on poorer incomes," said Nigel Richards, who works as a sexual health service development and delivery manager in the Manchester area, via Manchester Evening News.
Experts advise that positive tests should be reconfirmed with a proper diagnosis, guidance, and supplemented with information from health experts.
Free HIV tests are routinely administered at the NHS in the U.K.
