Free HIV self-test kits now available to the public across Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan residents are now able to test themselves for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at home.

Free HIV self-test kits are available to the general public at 23 locations across the province. The province said test kits can also be purchased online and delivered directly from the manufacturer to a Saskatchewan resident's home.

According to AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan (APSS), 175 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in the province in 2020. But since the pandemic, the number of HIV tests done in the province has decreased by 25 per cent. 

"All the resources were directed toward fighting the COVID pandemic ... so this drop in testing numbers has lowered the number of new cases diagnosed,"  said Vidya Reddy, education and information specialist at APSS. "We know that there are more people out there who are going undiagnosed and these self-test kits will help to address that problem."

The self-tests provide preliminary results in one minute and only require a bit of blood from a person's finger tip, according to a news release issued by the province on Wednesday.

Reddy said the antibody test is 99.5 per cent accurate. 

In the news release, the province said, "When HIV is diagnosed and treated early, people can live longer and healthier lives. Knowing quickly if you have HIV also allows you to take precautions against spreading the virus to others."

"We have seen the clear benefits of having quick and easy access to at home testing options," Health Minister Paul Merriman said in the release.

The province said there was high uptake in the first few weeks of the pilot self-test program, with more than 70 HIV self-test kits provided to members of the public. Distribution began in January.  

The kits include step-by-step instructions for self-testing.

"The only way to know whether you're positive or negative is to get tested. Because HIV, of course, it doesn't have any distinctive symptoms," Reddy said.

"So it's important for everyone to get tested and especially those in any kind of high-risk exposure. So for instance, if I'm a sex worker or I'm in a relationship with a person who's HIV positive, or in a weekend contact with someone in a high-risk situation."

Reddy said the self-tests have been quite expensive in the past and that APSS has not always had access to them, so the free availability is a positive step for Saskatchewan, particularly in rural areas of the province. 

"It is going to be a huge game changer because it makes the HIV test available on demand rather than wait for appointments and go to a lab and so on. It's also very, very private. It's confidential. So it's a low barrier kind of access." 

Reddy said some people might not be comfortable talking to health-care providers about high-risk lifestyles due to the stigma. 

The province said that everyone between the ages of 13 and 70 should be tested for HIV every five years. They should be tested more often if sexually active, sharing drug use equipment or pregnant.