Health unit boosts home testing as latest move in HIV campaign

The "Time 2 Test" home sampling scheme, which will run in Sheffield until Friday December 17, allows people to collect kits from various locations or else have one posted to their home.

They can then take a sample of their saliva and post it back to the hospital, where the sample will be screened for HIV.

The free and confidential scheme is one of several initiatives set up by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Centre of HIV and Sexual Health to try and encourage more people in the city to get tested for HIV.

One Zimbabwean man, who has been living in Sheffield for the past decade, has joined up with the local NHS to urge people to take up the offer of the tests.

He said: "I decided to have a HIV test in 2002 after I came across an article that had information offering testing at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital's Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic.

"I had no symptoms, but had been married twice and was single again. A positive result did not shock me. I did not feel bad or miserable because I knew I was in the best place.

"My experience from services in Sheffield has been very good. You get your treatment without a problem.

"People may be scared or maybe think it may not happen to me. Knowing you have HIV helps you take good care of yourself like taking your treatment on time and having a healthy diet and lifestyle.

"I think the home sampling kits are a great idea as people can do it in their own homes without having to go to a clinic."

He added: "Everybody should consider having a HIV test if they have been at any risk, especially people who have been in high HIV prevalence places like Africa.

"I feel that it's important to be aware of your status because this helps you understand your condition and know how to protect yourself as well as others.

"Some people think that after having a HIV test that's the end of you. It's not. You can get very good advice from the GUM and the E Floor at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital which specialises in infectious diseases."

It is estimated that a third of people with HIV are unaware that they have the infection. However, if HIV is diagnosed at an early stage effective treatments are available to help people remain healthy and to avoid transmitting the infection to others.

Evelyn Joseph from Sheffield's Centre for HIV and Sexual Health said: "Since we launched this pilot scheme we have had a very encouraging response from the community.

"Through this project we hope to make the process of HIV testing easier for people who don't want to or find it difficult to go to a clinic for an HIV test."

About 33 million people worldwide are currently infected with HIV, with 23 million of those living in Africa.

Dr Christine Bowman, clinical director of communicable diseases at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Throughout the city we are involved in a variety of approaches to HIV testing for many different communities. Each community responds to a different approach.

"Because we know that people of African origin have been disproportionately affected by HIV both worldwide and in Sheffield, it is vital that we invest in resources that help people from this community access HIV testing in ways that are sensitive and appropriate to their lifestyles," she said.

"Diagnosing HIV in the early stages can really help people to enjoy long and relatively healthy lives."