HIV Self-Testing for Partner Screening and Risk Reduction

Harsha Thirumurthy of the University of North Carolina in the U.S. along with colleagues in Kenya will encourage individuals in sub-Saharan Africa to use self-testing HIV kits to screen their current and future sexual partners for HIV status. An oral test for HIV that can be performed by an individual at home has been approved in Kenya, reducing social and economic barriers of testing in a clinic. They will provide between 5 and 10 self-testing kits, along with instructions for use and how to act on the results, to a group of men and women in Kenya who are HIV negative, and encourage them to test their current and future sexual partners. They will monitor their progress over a 3 month period, and evaluate the influence of this intervention on sexual decision making.