Pilot HIV self-testing with saliva
By dipping saliva into a test kit, a person can get an initial screening for HIV infection.
If you test positive, you will be advised to do an HIV diagnostic test. If negative, you will be advised to do the test again periodically. Vietnam is currently piloting 80,000 free HIV saliva tests for high-risk groups. This activity has been carried out in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; it will soon be deployed in Can Tho, Thai Nguyen, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, etc.
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Rapid HIV screening test using saliva. Photo:Reuters. |
Mr. Vo Hai Son, Head of the Department of Monitoring - Monitoring - Evaluation - Testing, Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention (Ministry of Health) said that HIV testing using saliva has been assessed to have 100% sensitivity and 99% specificity. That means no positive cases are missed. However, positive cases when testing blood can give negative results. The false positive rate is 1%.
"Like a pregnancy test, a positive result does not mean that the person is 100% infected with HIV. This is just a screening method. To confirm whether a person is infected with HIV or not, a blood test is needed at a medical facility," Mr. Son emphasized.
Some people who have been on ARV treatment for a long time, with viral loads at a level that is difficult to detect, not only this test but other tests can also give negative results. People with hepatitis C can also give false positive results...
Health experts hope to expand this test to allow people to self-test. The US test manufacturer has planned to open a branch in Vietnam. At that time, the selling price may be as low as 2 USD (more than 40,000 VND), while currently buying online costs about 20 USD excluding shipping costs to Vietnam.
In the first three months of the year, more than 2,000 new cases of HIV infection were discovered nationwide. There are currently more than 200,000 people living with HIV, mainly aged 20-49, of which 70% are men. Each year, our country has about 200 children infected with HIV due to transmission from their mothers, compared to about 500-600 children previously. Pregnant mothers with HIV who are treated early with ARV drugs have a very low chance of transmitting HIV to their children.
