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Tag: HIV Self Test

All the latest breaking news on HIV Self Test. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on HIV Self Test.

  • Where can I get a free at-home HIV test?

    Where can I get a free at-home HIV test?

    Did you know you can test yourself for HIV in the comfort of your own home?

    Thanks to at-home testing you no longer have to book an appointment at your local sexual health clinic to test for a variety of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. However we’d always suggest you book an appointment with a clinic – as it really isn’t that awful an experience – read our full review of visiting a sexual health clinic here.

    Embed from Getty Images

    However, you’re unable to get to a clinic there are charities and health organisations that can send out an HIV test to your home for you to self-test.

    To read our review of the at-home self-test click here.

    Watch how to take an at-home self-test for HIV

    The Saving Lives charity has given the readers of THEGAYUK.com a free offer – when you use GAYUK20 you can get an HIV Self Test sent to your home.

    Just click here to order your HIV Self Test Kit today.

  • 9 reasons why you should book a HIV test today

    9 reasons why you should book a HIV test today

    Knowing your HIV status is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health, so why not book an appointment to get tested today.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    1) Testing is free on the NHS

    It’s free. If you’re in the UK you can book yourself in for a free HIV test. There are some walk-in clinics and organisations around the UK, but you can always book an appointment at a sexual health clinic near you.

    2) It’s really really quick

    From a drop of blood, the HIV test is super quick and takes just minutes. No waiting around for results, no needles, just a quick finger prick.

    3) Knowledge is power

    Someone who knows their HIV status for sure, whether they are negative or positive is safer to hook up with than someone who isn’t sure. Thanks to treatments which can bring someone’s viral load down to undetectable, makes the possibility of passing on HIV almost impossible. You should find out more about the campaign UEqualsU – which stands for undetectable equals untransmittable.

    4) Get the treatment and support you need.

    Once you know your status, particularly if it comes back positive you can begin to take action to keep you and your sexual partner(s) healthy. In the UK HIV medication and care is free.

    CREDIT: Bigstock

    5) Can’t pass HIV on

    Taking HIV medication as prescribed means you can’t pass the virus on. The sooner you’re on the right, prescribed medication, the quicker you can get back to having the sex you want.

    6) Keep you and your partner healthy.

    Not knowing whether you have HIV or not means you can’t take steps to prevent passing on HIV to your partner(s).

    7) Make it part of your sex life.

    It’s recommended that you test regularly, particularly if you have multiple partners. So if you enjoy a regular sex life, make testing part of it.

    8) It’s confidential

    Testing for HIV is confidential. Your details won’t be passed on to anyone else.

    9) You can do it from home

    Yes, you can even get HIV tests direct to your door. The Terrence Higgins Trust offers free or low-cost HIV kits for home testing.

  • Prince Harry awareness campaign boosts HIV self tests

    Prince Harry awareness campaign boosts HIV self tests

    Prince Harry’s HIV awareness campaign has led to a spike in ordering at-home HIV self tests.

    CREDIT: Facebook Live

     

    Prince Harry‘s campaign to create awareness on the importance of HIV testing has led to a dramatic increase in at-home HIV self test kits ordered from one of the UK’s leading HIV charities, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT).

    The Prince made global news when he took a HIV test live on Facebook’s Live Platform.

    THT launched an innovative pilot offering people the chance to find out their HIV status privately – in their own space, in their own time, on their terms – by taking a HIV self test and getting their results in just 15 minutes.

    Over 4750 BioSure kits were sent out by THT before the pilot ended.

     

    Making HIV Tests Accessible

    Dr Michael Brady, Medical Director for Terrence Higgins Trust, said,

    “We know that one in six people living with HIV do not know that they have it. Testing puts you in control and, thanks to treatment, will stop you from getting seriously ill, enable you to live a normal lifespan and prevent you from passing the virus on to anyone else.

    “That’s why it’s so important that we continue looking for new ways to make HIV testing more accessible to those most at risk, and why it’s fantastic to see the very tangible and immediate impact of Prince Harry’s support for HIV testing.”

     

    Orders for the kits came in from across the UK, including Guernsey,  Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, with the average age of those ordering coming in at 31-years-old.

     

    BioSure Self HIV Test

     

    ALSO READ: At home HIV test reviewed by our Editor

     

    Sharing Results.

    Half of those who ordered kits from the pilot scheme shared their results with THT, twenty-six of those who order the kits told the charity that they had a positive result. Each of these respondents got a personal call from Terrence Higgins Trust to discuss their result, provide support and ensure that they know how to access HIV care.

    Chris, who ordered a kit said,

    “The HIV home tests came within a few days and I had my results no longer than 30 minutes after opening the package. The instructions were clear and understandable, with the online step-by-step video explaining even further. Nothing at all could be misunderstood.”

    The tests, which are normally £29.95 to buy from BioSure, were provided free of charge during the pilot and funded by Terrence Higgins Trust, but people receiving a test were given the option of making a voluntary donation to fund a test for someone else.

    The scheme was made possible thanks to funding from the Terrence Higgins Trust Lighthouse Fund and BioSure.

    You can now order self testing kits from Amazon.

  • 15 Minute Self HIV Test Released In The UK

    A 15-minute self test kit has gone on sale in the UK.

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  • At Home HIV Testing Service To Resume In UK For Gay And Bi Men

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust is to mark National HIV Testing Week (22nd – 30th November) by relaunching its highly popular postal HIV testing service for gay and bisexual men.

    The Fastest Direct service is a collaboration between Terrence Higgins Trust and Public Health England, with additional funding and support from HIV Prevention England. It is available free of charge to gay and bisexual men living in England. Men wanting to test will be able to place an order at www.startswithme.org.uk and receive an HIV test kit delivered to their door. The process involves a simple finger-prick blood test, which is then posted in a pre-paid envelope to a laboratory for testing. Results are returned within 14 days, either by text message (for negative results), or with a telephone call to provide support and referral to a specialist HIV service (for reactive results).

    In 2013, there were an estimated 43,500 gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the UK, one in six of whom remain undiagnosed. Undiagnosed infection is widely recognised as a key factor driving the UK’s HIV epidemic, as someone who remains undiagnosed is much more likely to pass the virus on unwittingly than someone who has tested and is on treatment. National HIV Testing Week was established by Terrence Higgins Trust and HIV Prevention England in 2012, in a bid to reduce high levels of undiagnosed and late-diagnosed HIV among gay men and Africans in England.
    In 2013, Terrence Higgins Trust ran a pilot postal HIV testing scheme in England, which demonstrated significant demand and acceptability for the option to test for HIV at home. Around 32% of those who returned a test had never tested for the virus before, and 25% had not tested in the last 12 months. 97% of users agreed that they would use the service again.

    Cary James, Head of Health Improvement for Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “There are more than 7,000 gay and bi men in the UK who have HIV but don’t yet know they have it. To slow the spread of the virus, we need to take every opportunity to get more people testing more regularly, and that includes finding new ways to reach people outside of the clinic. We are very pleased to be relaunching Fastest Direct, and we would encourage anyone who hasn’t tested before, or perhaps hasn’t tested in some time, to take advantage of the service and be sure of their HIV status.”

    In April 2014, the sale of HIV self-testing kits – where a person performs an HIV test on themselves and receives an immediate result – became legal in the UK. However, no kit has yet been approved that is available for sale.
    For further information on HIV testing, or to request a postal HIV test, please visit www.startswithme.org.uk.

  • Sale of “at home” HIV testing kits to be made legal

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust has welcomed the Department of Health’s announcement that the sale of HIV self-testing kits is to be made legal in the UK.

    Policy Director Lisa Power said: “We warmly welcome this decision, which Terrence Higgins Trust has long campaigned for. People deserve to have a choice about how and where they test for HIV and proper regulation will make self-testing a safe and supported option for many more people across the country. The public response to our highly successful home sampling scheme shows that many people who have never tested before, or who have been putting off a visit to a clinic, are willing to test at home.

    “Currently, most HIV transmission in the UK is driven by the 25,000 people who have HIV but have not yet been diagnosed. Anything that encourages these people to test, take control of their health and get treatment is a welcome advance.”

    Since 1992, the sale of self-testing kits for HIV has been illegal in the UK. Kits can currently be purchased over the internet, but they are unregulated, often of very poor quality and lack important information on HIV transmission and where to get support.

    In 2010, Terrence Higgins Trust surveyed 657 people via newsletters, social media, and other online media. Of the 490 respondents that had not tested HIV-positive, 63% said they would consider using HIV self-testing kits if they were legalised and 51% thought legalisation would make them test more often. Among gay men, one of the groups most at risk of HIV in the UK, 60% thought legalisation would make them test more often.

    In January 2013, Terrence Higgins Trust and Public Health England co-launched their first HIV home sampling scheme, where people in groups at an increased risk of infection could request a free HIV test by post. Since launch, the scheme has provided almost 9,000 home sampling kits to gay men and Africans in England, receiving over 1,400 requests in the first month alone.

    For more information on HIV testing options, including Terrence Higgins Trust’s community testing clinics and home sampling service, please visit www.tht.org.uk.

  • REVIEW: AT HOME HIV TESTING KIT FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

    Terrence Higgins Trust and the Health Protection Agency announced at the end of January that they were launching a pilot scheme which would allow gay and bisexual men to access an ‘at home’ testing kit for HIV.

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  • Pilot HIV Home Test Scheme Launched

    Pilot HIV Home Test Scheme Launched

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust and the Health Protection Agency are co-launching a pilot project that will allow gay and bisexual men to access HIV home sampling kits by post.

    (more…)

  • Pilot HIV Home Test Scheme Launched

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust and the Health Protection Agency are co-launching a pilot project that will allow gay and bisexual men to access HIV home sampling kits by post.

    (more…)