The Time 2 Test Home Sampling Scheme is running until the 17th December 2010. It allows members of the public to pick up a home sampling kit from various community settings, via a website (http://www.africaninsheffield.co.uk) or by telephone and have one posted to their home.
The free and confidential scheme is one of a number of initiatives from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health. The aim is to encourage people in Sheffield to get tested for HIV.
It is estimated that a third of people with HIV are unaware they have the infection. If HIV is diagnosed at an early stage, effective treatment is available – to help people remain healthy and to avoid transmitting the infection to others.
HIV is one of the major public health concerns facing the world today with around 33 million people infected with the virus. Although HIV is an issue for every country and continent in the world, it is Africa that has been most severely affected by the virus with 23 million people currently living with HIV.
Dr Christine Bowman, Clinical Director of Communicable Diseases at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said:
"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. Diagnosing HIV in the early stages can really help people to enjoy long and relatively healthy lives.”
To order an HIV home sampling kit, people from African communities can fill in the on-line order form on the website http://www.africaninsheffield.co.uk or call the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health on 0114 226 1900. All requests are treated absolutely confidentially.