HIV Self-Testing Kit With Results In 15 Minutes Goes On Sale In Ireland - Extra.ie
A new HIV self-testing kit that promises accurate results in 15 minutes has gone on sale in Ireland today (July 27).
The Autotest VIH self-test kit, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Mylan, is available over the counter and requires only a pinprick blood sample.
Users who fear they might have the virus take the sample using the device, which then looks for the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood and provides a positive or negative result in a quarter of an hour.
The kit is already available in France, Italy and Spain. Ireland becomes the fourth market to offer the device at a time when HIV diagnoses are spiking.
An average of 300-400 HIV cases were diagnosed from 2003-14 but have steadily and consistently risen over the past few years.
The latest full year statistics show there were 512 new cases diagnosed in 2016. Provisional figures released by HIV Ireland in December show 450 new cases had been found last year.
In the first five months of the year, 200 new cases were diagnoses, continuing the trend, with 18 cases detected in just one week in March. Ireland's infection rate is currently almost double the European average.
It is estimated that around 12.9pc of people living with HIV in Ireland (around 900-1,000 people) remain undiagnosed, and bringing Autotest VIH to market is a part of the push to encourage people to get tested.
Ann Mason, manager of Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health, and HIV (GOSHH), said: 'HIV is a treatable infection and the sooner someone living with HIV accesses treatment, the sooner the medication will reduce their viral load to undetectable.
'Whether you are HIV negative, positive or have never been tested, there are channels to discuss it. It is also important to encourage people to openly discuss their HIV status with their sexual partner.
'With discreet and easy-to-use tools like the Mylan self-test kit and with helplines like GOSHH to support their use, we hope to see more people avail of testing, an increased ability to manage symptoms early on, and ultimately, a decline in HIV diagnoses.'
Mylan Ireland manager Owen McKeon said: 'Mylan has a long history in the fight against HIV and AIDS. As one of the largest providers of antiretroviral solutions in the world, Mylan is supporting early testing and prevention in Ireland through the launch of our HIV self-test kit.
'Over the coming months, we will be working with HIV patient organisations to increase awareness of the importance of early testing, and how tools like our self-testing kit, as well as taking a proactive approach to your health, can help in the fight against the spread of HIV.'
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