News / Society

HIV home test kits go on sale in Britain

Monday, 27 April 2015 2:46 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 27 April 2015 2:47 PM ]

New HIV test kit goes on sale in UK. (file photo)

The UK's first legally approved HIV test kits, which can be ordered online and used at home, have become available in England, Scotland and Wales.

The tests do not have to be sent off to a laboratory and it is hoped that they will combat the 26,000 undiagnosed cases of HIV in Britain. However, medical experts have issued a warning, saying the results are not conclusive and medical staff must check any positive tests.

HIV is no longer the death sentence that it was during the climate of fear that engulfed the UK in the 1980s. There is a better understanding of the subject and government funding has been allocated into raising awareness in recent years.

With the appropriate medical treatment, an early diagnosis of HIV can lead to the individual living a healthy and normal life. People successfully treated with the potentially deadly disease are also less likely to pass it on.

Shaun Griffin, from the Terence Higgins Trust, said, "At the moment there are funding challenges throughout the NHS, including for sexual health services. It is absolutely critical that people have access to HIV tests and advice they need."

Tests cannot detect the disease during the three-month window from catching the disease. Experts have warned that even if a test result comes out as negative, this is not a conclusive result and should be verified.

The company that produces the new kits, Bio Sure UK, is making the DIY kits available online. The test works the same way as a pregnancy kit, measuring antibodies-proteins reacting to the virus.

Charities and campaigners across the UK have praised the move, saying it will boost numbers of diagnosed cases that can be treated earlier and provide a way for those attending health clinics to test themselves at home.

LM/GHN

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