A quick guide to self-testing

In Malawi, people prefer to get HIV self-tests delivered to their homes rather than picking them up at clinics, according to research recently presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. How much is too much for a

DIY test? The Malawi study found even fees as low as R1 was enough to put most people off.

Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa have piloted HIV selftesting to meet the latest international HIV targets, including ensuring that 90% of people know their HIV status by 2020. HIV self-tests are currently available at some pharmacies, including Clicks. The retailer stocks internationally approved tests that can return results within 20 minutes. Clicks spokesperson Susann Caminada said the tests were about 99% accurate unless someone had contracted the virus within the previous three months, during the “window period”.

If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV within the past three months and you take a self-test, it may not be accurate, so you’ll need to retest. Also, if you test positive for HIV with a DIY test, you’ll need to go to your local clinic for a confirmatory test with a health professional.