United Kingdom: HIV Home Screening Kit Launched

People seeking HIV testing in the privacy of their own home can now do so thanks to the launch of the United Kingdom's first home test kit, the Dr. Thom test.

An oral sample is sent from home off to a laboratory, which looks for HIV antibodies in the saliva. If the results are negative, results are sent out via e-mail. If the £25 ($49 US) test detects signs of an immune response to HIV in the saliva, the service offers a phone call from a health professional. Patients are also advised to seek a formal diagnosis from a genitor-urinary clinic.

Home test kits have been previously banned due to a lack of on-hand counseling.

The Dr. Thom test is unlikely to detect recent HIV infection since only people who have been infected for approximately 14 weeks will test positive. Also, the test is not as accurate as the standard blood test offered in clinics, and this will still be required in order to confirm infection. "The test can tell if a person shows no signs of HIV, but is unable to make a firm diagnosis," said a Dr. Thom spokesperson.

Annabel Kanabus, director of the AIDS charity Avert, said the target audience for the test is the "worried well." "I would still recommend that if people are genuinely worried they may have HIV, they should go to a local [National Health Service] genito-urinary clinic to be tested," she said. "The blood test is more reliable than a saliva test, and it is free of charge. In addition, counseling is available on the spot, unlike this service."

Back to other news for December 28, 2006