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Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care says the new HIV self test kits which will be available in pharmacies and Government hospitals next month are not designed for people who have tested and are on Antiretroviral therapy as it may give them inaccurate results.
Mrs Beatrice Dupwa from the Innovations Department in the ministry said it was highly discouraged to retest those that were already HIV positive.
“We do not recommend people who are getting retested for HIV to use the self test kits, this is because the test can come out negative and can then lead to challenges. This is so because of viral suppression usually caused by ART.
“Correct and consistent intake of ART can reduce the viral load in a person’s system to undetectable levels such that an HIV test can read negative. Viral suppression does not mean a person is cured; HIV still remains in the body. If ART is discontinued, the person’s viral load will likely return to a detectable level and they test HIV positive,” she said.
Mrs Dupwa said once the self test kits were available publicly those who use them should be careful especially if it was a retest for someone on treatment.
She said the false negative result might push some patients to stop treatment which was detrimental to their health.
Pharmacies will, starting next month be selling the self test kits to members of the public.
Asked on the monitoring of self test kits Mrs Dupwa said they were working on modalities to ensure that barriers were removed that prevent people from self testing in the comfort of their homes.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care did a pilot study in Mazowe District in Mashonaland Central where people were given the self test kits and it turned out positive as people were able to use and interpret results correctly.
They also said fears of Gender Based Violence (GBV) were also allayed as the pilot study did not record any cases. Some sections of the society feared that women would fall victim to violence especially after testing HIV positive.
The ministry said evidence shows that all participants in the pilot study that tested positive were not exposed to GBV and it is their hope that when rolled out it would remain the same.
Self-testing kits were introduced with the hope of encouraging more people to know their HIV status.
HIV self-testing kits, also known as self-tests, allow people to test themselves without the aid of a health care provider.
The kit allows an individual to test a blood or saliva sample and interpret the result within a short space of time. Self testing is meant to normalise HIV, provide early diagnosis and treatment.
In addition to high acceptability HIV, self-testing empowers individuals and reduce stigma. It also offers a platform for people to test in a confidential and private space.
Stigma and discrimination remain huge barriers to HIV testing in health care settings, as there are fears of confidentiality breaches and long waiting times to receive results.
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