Study finds HIV self-kits distributed by people on HIV treatment reach first-time testers

Abstract

The South African government has supported HIV self-tests since 2016. Six years on, however, the public sector is still reliant on rapid tests administered by healthcare professionals. A group of HSRC researchers set out to find out how distributing free self-tests via people already on treatment affected the uptake of testing among hard-to-reach populations. Their results suggested that the strategy reaches first-time testers - but not the sexual partners of the distributors.