MINISTRY OF HEALTH ON VERGE OF RAPID HIV TESTING

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 09, 2014 (SKNIS): The St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health is on the verge of offering Point of Care (POC) Rapid Testing as a means of scaling up prevention and early detection of HIV.

The National AIDS Secretariat in the Ministry of Health has informed that Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Providers are currently in training for the administration of the new POC Rapid Testing for HIV.

This method is new to the Federation and as the name suggests, it takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to receive counseling, testing and results.  The HIV testing currently in use in the Federation involves the same procedure yet sometimes it takes from several hours to several weeks to conclude.

Another advantage of the new method is that it only requires a finger prick of blood instead of having blood drawn with a needle and syringe.

The National AIDS Secretariat has informed that the POC testing will commence as soon as the next International Testing Day which is scheduled for Friday, June 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lucine Pemberton, Health Educator in the Ministry of Health urged residents to take advantage of the new HIV testing method.

“Take the opportunity to be among the first in St. Kitts and Nevis to make use of the POC Rapid Testing,” Ms. Pemberton encouraged.  “It is truly a rapid test, can be done all in one stop and in settings that you are comfortable with.  St. Kitts and Nevis is joining other countries on the cutting edge of HIV interventions.  So come on out to our International Testing Day on Friday June 27.  Remember, a stitch in time saves lives.”