Ontario is launching a new HIV testing program that will provide results in minutes rather than weeks.
The program - the first of its-kind in Canada - will be offered for free and available in designated anonymous HIV testing sites, sexually transmitted infections clinics and community health centres around the province.
The test will screen for the antibodies of HIV in a drop of blood within 60 seconds. The test is as accurate as current laboratory based testing in Ontario and the whole process takes 20 minutes, including pre-test counselling, test administration and post-test counselling.
A test that shows the presence of antibodies will require additional blood analysis from a laboratory to confirm a positive HIV test result. If the test does not show the presence of antibodies, then a client is considered to be negative, unless the infection occurred within the "window period" of anti-body development, usually up to three months.
An anonymous test substitutes a code for a person's name and no personal information is kept about the person's identity with the request for a test or result.
"By making HIV testing faster, we are making a stressful process easier," says Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman.
"We are also helping to keep all Ontarians healthy by encouraging people to get tested and thereby reduce the number of HIV-infected people who remain undiagnosed. It also means if you are positive, the support and appropriate treatment can be available faster."
As well, the province is adding 24 new anonymous testing sites, many of them in northern and rural communities. Testing at the sites is expected to begin this fall. The new locations will bring the number of anonymous HIV testing sites across Ontario to 50.
"About 30 per cent of people who are HIV positive in Ontario are unaware of their status," said Frank McGee, Coordinator, AIDS Bureau. "We understand people may fear knowing the results, but getting tested will help alleviate the anxiety and will make a difference in the effectiveness of treatment."
