Rapid HIV/AIDS testing is here

St. Vincent and tHE Grenadines is continuing to vigorously pursue efforts to reduce and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS here.{{more}}

To this end, the Ministry of Health, through the National AIDS Secretariat-NAS, has introduced one of the latest technologies to enhance these efforts. It’s the Rapid HIV Test, which enables an individual to know his or her HIV status within minutes. The 20-minute rapid test compares to a one week wait for results, if the test is done at the national laboratory.

The Rapid HIV Test is an important technological advance in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is due mainly to the fact that there are thousands of people living with HIV who do not know their status. Knowledge of one’s HIV status is just one of the leading ways of preventing the spread of the disease. This knowledge serves as an entry point to accessing anti-retroviral therapy and treatment.

The service, which is already being offered at some centres here, was formally launched in the North of the island on Wednesday, September 19. That’s when the NAS will kick off its series of road shows that will be taken throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines to promote and offer the new service in particular and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) in general. Wednesday’s event took place at the Sandy Bay Clinic, and a team from the NAS was on hand to provide counseling and testing services, as well as information and education support.

The NAS hopes that with the Rapid HIV Test, many more Vincentians will find it easier, more comfortable and more convenient to come forward and be tested for HIV and learn their status.