Milestone in the fight against AIDS HIV self-test already available from autumn?

Federal Health Minister wants to make HIV self-test freely available

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn wants to make the much-discussed HIV self-test by law freely available. With the self-test, anyone at home can independently check whether there is an infection with the AIDS pathogen. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) expects about 12,600 HIV-infected people who know nothing of their disease and so they can unsuspectingly transfer to others. The law will be decided until autumn 2018.

"The HIV self-test is a milestone in the fight against AIDS," reports Minister Jens Spahn to the Funke media group. The test could also reach those who would otherwise not be tested. If the law is passed, the self-test is freely available to anyone in pharmacies. Through the test, the Federal Ministry of Health hopes to achieve two goals. On the one hand, people infected with HIV should learn about their condition at an early age and thus should not even reach the state of AIDS as much as possible. On the other hand, the risk of infection is to be reduced by ignorant infected.

The new HIV self-test will soon be sold freely in pharmacies and work much like a diabetes blood test. (Image: Kwangmoo / fotolia.com)

HIV and AIDS in Germany

HIV and AIDS are among the sexual diseases. According to the Society for Virology (GfV), around 85,000 people were living with HIV at the end of 2016. The RKI estimates that there are about 12,600 people who know nothing about their infection. Early detection of viruses is beneficial for two reasons. An early start of treatment can help HIV-infected people live a largely normal life and never reach end-stage AIDS. Furthermore, transmission risk can be reduced if infected people know about their disease.

Many learn too late about their illness

About 25 percent of new HIV diagnoses will only be made when those affected have already reached the status of AIDS. The HIV self-test for all should especially involve people who can not be reached despite extensive test offers.

Austria demonstrates it

Austria is already one step ahead in this regard. For a short time, the self-test can be bought there in pharmacies. About two weeks after a potential HIV infection first statements by the test are possible. Similar to a diabetes blood sugar test, the user has to peck his finger and apply the exiting blood to a stick. The results are shown in the form of appearing lines. Two lines indicate HIV infection.

Concerns about the test

The GfV points out that there is an increased room for interpretation in the self-test results. Thus, the user must be informed that especially with fresh infections, a negative test result is not reliable. Even a positive result does not necessarily mean that an HIV infection is present. To make matters worse, that HIV infection is a major blow for those affected. In a self-test at home alone, the testers are first on their own and can not benefit from the psychological care that a doctor could provide.

Advantages outweigh

Other countries like Austria, Great Britain and France have already taken this step. The German AIDS-Hilfe welcomes despite initial skepticism the efforts to release. For example, board member Sylvia Urban believes that the self-test will help more people learn about their HIV infection as early as possible and seek treatment. (Vb)