First home HIV test on sale in Belgium

Three people a day are diagnosed with HIV in Belgium, and many more are HIV carriers who do not know that they are infected. The British company BioSure has therefore launched the world’s first CE marked HIV self-testing kit. Because the test can be taken at home, completely anonymous, BioSure hopes that it will help remove the stigma that surrounds getting tested for HIV.

The test, which costs about €42, pricks a small drop of blood and gives a result - 99.7% certainty - within 15 minutes.

While there is no cure for HIV as of yet, it is treatable with early detection. The new test should help to prevent further spread of the disease by making testing anonymous and more accessible.