HIV is currently at an all-time high in the UK, where it affects nearly 110,000 people. An estimated 26,000 are unaware that they are carrying the virus, which can be 10 times as deadly when diagnosed in the later stages of the infection.
For many, then, the launch of the first legally approved HIV self-testing kit in the UK in April could prove lifesaving. Following the overturning of legislation banning such devices early last year, diagnostics company BioSURE began manufacturing a product that could deliver results in 15 minutes with a 99.7 per cent accuracy rate, and without the need to send it to a lab.
The finger-pricking test reads how many antibodies — proteins the body makes in response to the virus — are active in the blood, and can be bought online for about $46. “Creating the kit was a long process, because we had to prove that it could reach the same level of accuracy and achieve the same outcomes as a test undertaken by a healthcare professional.
In a way, it’s almost over-engineered: There’s a lot of information in each pack, down to how big the drop of blood should be, but this means it’s straightforward and that everybody can use it in the same way — whether they have English as a second language, or are dyslexic,” explained Brigette Bard, BioSURE’s managing director.
The closest alternative available in the UK currently is the National Health Service’s home sampling kit, which requires a blood sample 160 times larger than BioSURE’s test and must be sent to a laboratory by post, with results available between three to five days later.
Source: www.motherboard.vice.com
