AFRICA: Over the counter HIV tests to ease stigma

JOHANNESBURG, 3 Mar 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - MedMira, a Canadian global market leader in rapid diagnostic technology, hopes to alleviate AIDS-related stigma with a new over-the-counter HIV testing kit.

Supplying most of the US, Canada, South Africa and China, with rapid testing equipment for various ailments, the company says its new product offers an alternative to people who do not want to be publicly tested for HIV.

"Although the stigma associated with HIV testing has decreased substantially in recent years, many people still prefer the option of performing an HIV test in the privacy of their home. This has already been proven by the marketing success of the test in Hong Kong and Macao," MedMira chief operating officer, Hermes Chan, said in a statement.

In comparison to traditional testing methods, which can take days or weeks to provide results, the new product is able to give accurate results in just three minutes.

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