Paris - Self-testing HIV kits will go on sale in France next year under a strategy aimed at reducing the spread of the virus causing Aids, Health Minister Marisol Touraine said.
In-home tests will be available “for people who do not want to go to testing centres or hospitals” to learn about their HIV status, she told a parliamentary committee.
Self-testing kits use a drop of blood from a finger or a swab sample from the mouth to detect antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), usually delivering a result within 30 minutes.
France recorded 6 100 new infections of HIV in 2011.
Up to 40 000 people in France may have the Aids virus but not be aware of it, according to official estimates. - Sapa-AFP