MELBOURNE, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Papua New Guinea (PNG) has launched HIV self-testing kits that allow people to screen for the virus at home, as health authorities seek to tackle rising infection rates and improve access to testing.
The United Nations on Thursday handed over 26,000 HIV self-screening kits to the National Department of Health in the PNG capital Port Moresby. The kits are part of a shipment of 52,000 and represent about 10 percent of the country's annual HIV testing target.
The rollout follows a pilot program in Port Moresby in which 742 people used the self-screening service, with 11 diagnosed and linked to treatment, PNG's National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reported.
The self-test kits use a tongue swab and include QR code instructions, with each kit costing about 1 U.S. dollar.
PNG has about 120,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and records around 11,000 new infections annually, or about 30 a day, with women accounting for 60 percent of cases, health authorities say.
UN Resident Coordinator Shalini Bahuguna told NBC the kits would help normalize HIV testing and improve confidentiality.
PNG Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said many people still did not know their HIV status, limiting access to treatment and prevention services, The National reported.
The PNG government declared HIV a national health crisis last year and has allocated 15 million kina (3.43 million U.S. dollars) to the national response program this year, officials said. ■
