An OraQuick HIV self-test pictured at Hassle Free Clinic in Toronto. The clinic is conducting trials of the test for a St. Michael's Hospital study. Researchers are hoping the rapid HIV test will be approved by Health Canada at the end of the year.That's the kind of painless, fast and accurate HIV testing researchers at St.
The study will look at the test's accuracy and ease of use. OraSure Technologies, which created OraQuick, estimates the test has a 92 per cent accuracy rate. But first they need to know their status. And too many from vulnerable groups are unsure how to get tested or don't have contact with the health-care system. The groups that are primarily at risk are men who have sex with other men, those from Black and Indigenous communities, and those who engage in drug use, Rourke said.
The first HIV-self-test approved by Health Canada, called, INSTI, became available across the country in November 2020. But if OraQuick is approved by Health Canada, kits need to be available with as few barriers as possible, he said. Those who are at high risk but have never tested for HIV are unlikely to pay for a self test, he explained.
Awad points to recent changes on HIV/AIDS care guidelines by the Ministry of Health in Ontario that aim to improve testing and treatment. He said he's encouraged to see that those guidelines call for health care providers to test patients more regularly and also reference the importance of self-tests.