HIV home test kit: how does it work and is it reliable?
Self-testing kits hope to reduce the 'unacceptably high' number of people with undiagnosed HIV in the UK
The first legally-approved HIV self-testing kit has gone sale in the UK, in what manufactures are calling a significant step towards normalising HIV testing.
The test, developed by BioSure, is available online and delivers results in just 15 minutes. Charities are hopeful that the home tests will reduce the estimated 26,000 people who have undiagnosed HIV in the UK.
How do they work?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The test checks for antibodies for HIV, an immune response that occurs if a person is infected. The test requires a small drop of blood and delivers results in just 15 minutes. One line means the test is negative, two means that the test may be positive.
Are they reliable?
The tests claim to have a 99.7 per cent accuracy rate, higher than that of an average pregnancy test. However, they may not detect infections that have occurred within the last three months, so it is recommended that those at high-risk are tested every three months. All positive results will need to be confirmed by a health care professional.
Why has it taken so long for them to become available?
Home testing kits for HIV have been available in the US for some time, but the law that outlawed them in the UK only changed last year. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK's leading HIV/Aids charity, campaigned for the change in legislation, arguing that early diagnosis would help people get treatment and prevent them from unwittingly passing on the disease to others.
What has the reaction been?
Doctors and charities have welcomed the home tests and say they will encourage more people to get checked for the virus, particularly those who are reluctant to see their doctor.
"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," Kat Smithson, of the National Aids Trust, told Sky News. "It also enables a lot of people who think they might be at increased risk of HIV to test more often."
Dr Michael Brady of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust described the kits as a "really exciting development" as rates of undiagnosed HIV remain "unacceptably high" in the UK and continue to contribute to unnecessary illness and onward transmission of the virus.
While the Terrence Higgins Trust welcomed the development, it also highlighted the need for further funding for NHS sexual health services. "It is important to make sure people can get quick access to support when they get their result," Dr Rosemary Gillespie, the charity's chief executive told the BBC.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The pros and cons of labor unions
Pros and Cons Joining a labor union can have positives — and negatives
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'His death creates an opportunity for rough justice'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Movies to watch in October, from 'Joker: Folie à Deux' to 'Saturday Night'
The Week Recommends Joaquin Phoenix as Joker, a new Jason Reitman comedy and a buzzy Palme d'Or winner
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
The contaminated blood scandal
The Explainer Widely regarded as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, the public inquiry is due to publish its report in May
By The Week UK Published
-
Where did Omicron come from?
Today's Big Question Some experts believe the variant may have hidden and evolved in an immunosuppressed patient’s body
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
How the UK could end HIV transmission by 2030
In Depth Charities mark World Aids Day by calling for wider testing to halt new transmissions of the virus
By Gabriel Power Last updated
-
Bad blood: how haemophiliacs were infected with HIV
In Depth As many as 2,000 British haemophiliacs died after being given tainted blood plasma in the 1970s and 80s
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Third patient now reportedly cured of HIV
In Depth Dusseldorf patient received bone marrow transplant like the other two HIV-free patients
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Have doctors finally found a cure for HIV?
Speed Read UK patient ‘free’ of disease after stem cell treatment
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Scotland approves breast cancer drug deemed 'too expensive' for England
Speed Read Kadcyla to be offered north of the border, while NHS Scotland also commits to funding 'costly' PrEP HIV drug
By The Week Staff Published
-
How cancer drugs are being used to kill HIV
In Depth Researchers say treatment may be able to flush virus from hiding places in the body
By The Week Staff Published