As part of World AIDS Day, this year for the first time, HIV self-tests will be used. This tool allows each person to know their diagnosis autonomously, confidentially, and in less than 20 minutes. Fundación Huésped will carry out the “Once in a lifetime, get tested for HIV” campaign to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of the virus, access to care and timely treatment, and to invite people to get tested, according to the Argentine News Agency. The campaign will be held in 15 Farmacity stores in the city of Buenos Aires. In each one, Health Cabinets will be enabled, where people can perform the HIV self-test free of charge and voluntarily. The process will be accompanied by specially trained professionals for personalized care, who will offer guidance and ensure a safe and confidential environment. Additionally, in four pharmacies, the support of Fundación Huésped volunteers will be added, who will reinforce the information and promote awareness. “At Farmacity, we want to facilitate access to health and generate experiences that improve people's lives. That is why, for years, we have joined Fundación Huésped's campaign, a key health actor in the prevention and care of HIV. We will make 15 pharmacies available so that those who come to take the HIV self-test can count on a cared-for, safe, and confidential environment and can be advised by our specially trained professionals,” states Andrea Gualde, Director of Legal and Institutional Affairs at Farmacity. For his part, Leandro Cahn, Executive Director of Fundación Huésped, affirms: “Who can guarantee that they have always been careful? The alliance with Farmacity allows us to bring free testing to more and more people.” It is estimated that 17% of people living with HIV do not know they have it, and it is estimated that 6,400 people acquire HIV each year without knowing it. There are different types of tests to detect the virus: rapid tests, which are performed with a small blood sample and provide results in a few minutes; conventional tests, which are processed in laboratories and require more time to deliver results; and self-tests, which each person can perform on their own, confidentially and safely. The HIV self-test allows for a preliminary result from a small drop of blood from the finger placed on a reactive strip. In Argentina, some of the internationally approved modalities are already commercially available and can be purchased privately in pharmacies. The result can be read in less than 20 minutes and, like other antibody-based tests, it requires subsequent confirmation depending on the result.
