Oral Self-Testing for HIV Could Prevent Spread of AIDS Epidemic (Video)

A new study suggests that self-testing for HIV could prevent further spread of the AIDS epidemic.

The study was led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, which looked at if people would use home-based HIV self-tests as opposed to clinic visits for tests.

Twenty-one studies from around the world found that most people liked the idea of home-based self-testing. The studies also revealed that the tests had high acceptability, meaning that most people offered the tests in the studies actually went ahead and performed them, and most preferred the oral tests, which could be done at home, to the finger pinprick of blood, typically done in a clinic setting.

According to CTV News, the oral tests are easy to do and non-invasive and simply involve swabbing the inside of the mouth and then testing the swab. The tests ensure confidentiality and can provide results within 20 minutes.

 "What it means is that if we can get people to test themselves and go to see their doctors as early as possible, they'll go on treatment and they'll become less infectious to other people,"Dr. Mark Wainberg said, according to CTV's Canada AM Wednesday from Montreal. He is the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre.

"And that will allow for diminished numbers of new infections, which is what this game is all about."

Wainberg believes that with the possibility to test at home, those who may have contracted the virus will be able to seek treatment sooner and not spread the virus.

 "Now there's no reason for anybody to feel helpless," he said. "...The progress has been so dramatic over the last 20 years that this kind of testing makes absolutely good sense."

According to UNAIDS, 50 per cent of people living with HIV worldwide are unaware of their condition. Study author Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, a clinical researcher at the RI-MUHC, said in a statement that she believes access to an HIV self-test will help expand access to screening.

The full results of the study appear in PLoS Medicine.

Want to learn more about HIV testing? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.