AIDS charity backs HIV home testing kits
Terrence Higgins Trust is urging the Government to change the law to let people buy and use home test kits for HIV.
Changing the HIV Testing Kits and Services Regulations 1992 is one of ’25 Things’ that THT is asking the Government to do in its 25th anniversary year.
Approximately a third of people with HIV in the UK are currently undiagnosed and some people fail to test for HIV because they don’t want to go to a clinic, either because of stigma, long waiting times or restricted opening hours.
Paul Ward, Deputy Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust said:
“Use of unreliable, unregulated kits from the internet is increasing, so we need to offer a safe alternative.
“People can test at home for pregnancy and many other sexually transmitted infections. It is time that they had the same safe choice for HIV.”
It is legal to use a test at home (a home sampling kit) as long as it is clinically supervised and is sent to a lab.
THT would like tests to be available which offer a result direct to the person testing.
Kits currently sold on the internet for home testing are not subject to any form of UK quality control, nor do they carry information about sources of support in the UK.
Reforming the HIV testing kits and services regulations would allow the Government to ensure proper quality control and management of home testing in the UK.
Terrence Higgins Trust has produced ’25 Things’ – 25 points which THT would like the Government to take action on.
