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HIV Self-Testing Kit Gives Result In 15 Mins

HIV Self-Testing Kit Gives Result In 15 Mins

The first legally approved HIV self testing kit, which claims to have with a 99.7% accuracy rate, has gone sale in the UK.

The BioSURE HIV Self Test uses a small amount of blood from a finger prick to detect HIV antibodies and gives a result in just 15 minutes.

An estimated 26,000 people in the UK have HIV but are unaware of it, making them unknowingly responsible for the majority of onwards transmissions.

All positive test results will need to be confirmed by a healthcare professional and it is recommended that those in high-risk groups are tested every three months.

The only alternative currently available is "home sampling", which involves a person collecting a blood sample at home - which she said is 160 times larger than the sample required for a self test - and sending it by post to a laboratory. They are then informed of their result by text or by phone five days later.

Dr Michael Brady of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust described the new home testing kit as a "really exciting development".

"Rates of undiagnosed HIV and late diagnoses remain unacceptably high in the UK and continue to contribute to unnecessary illness and onward transmission of the virus," he said.

"We know that early diagnosis and access to successful HIV treatment has major benefits, not just for those infected but also for public health in general by reducing HIV transmission.

"The single biggest thing that we can do to have a major impact on the HIV epidemic is to dramatically increase HIV testing rates, especially in those most at risk. The availability of HIV self-testing will help us achieve that."

Kat Smithson, campaigns manager at the National Aids Trust, also welcomed the development.

She told Sky News: "There are a lot of people who are unaware of their HIV status who may be uncomfortable with accessing HIV testing in clinical settings or who don't know how to.

"It also enables a lot of people who think they might be at increased risk of HIV to test more often."