First HIV self-test kits launch in Liberia
The launch of the HIV self test kit was in collaboration with the Liberian government through the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
CAPE TOWN, March 23 (ANA) – On March 19, the West African country of Liberia launched the first HIV self-test kits in the country.
According to a report by online newspaper the Liberian Observer, the launch of the HIV self test kit was in collaboration with the Liberian government through the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
The testing process includes the collection of a person’s saliva or pinprick blood specimen.
Individuals can perform the test, and receive the test result within 20 minutes, writes Liberian Observer.
The kits coined “OraQuick”, according to DKT-Liberia, will afford individuals the opportunity to carry out Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) tests in the comfort and privacy of their homes, said the report.
In 2018, The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a patent to Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan for his invention of a rapid multiplex pathogen diagnostic test that detects and identifies at least 3-7 pathogens in less than an hour.
According to data released by the World Health Organisation in 2017, the estimated number of people living with HIV in the country was 43,000.
At the time the WHO estimated that around 8,100 people had been on Antiretroviral Treatment.
The report further revealed that HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men was 20%, while the percentage of men reporting using a condom the last time they had anal sex with a male partner also being at 20%.
Avert.org suggests that conflict, insecurity and humanitarian crisis are putting further strain on health systems, weakening many West African countries’ HIV responses further.
African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay