HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust is to mark National HIV Testing Week, which kicks off from the 22nd to 30th November, by relaunching its highly popular postal HIV testing service for Africans in England.
The Fastest Direct service is available free of charge to Africans living in England. Anyone wanting to test will be able to place an order at www.startswithme.org.uk and receive an HIV test kit delivered to their door.
The process involves a simple finger-prick blood test, which is then posted in a pre-paid envelope to a laboratory for testing. Results are returned within 14 days, either by text message (for negative results), or with a telephone call to provide support and referral to a specialist HIV service (for reactive results).
In 2013, there were an estimated 38,700 Africans living with HIV in the UK. 2 in 5 African men with HIV and 1 in 3 African women with HIV remained undiagnosed.
For further information on HIV testing, or to request a postal HIV test, please visit www.startswithme.org.uk.
