This Is the Future of HIV Testing

Keep an eye out for a new HIV testing machine at the Brighton Sauna in England. If you didn't know any better, you would think this was a regular vending machine.

The innovative project is a collaboration between the Martin Fisher Foundation, and  BioSure, and will be available 24 hours a day—free! Funding was awarded to the Brighton and Hove-based foundation by Public Health England’s HIV prevention innovation fund as a global initiative uniting cities across the world aiming to end the risk of HIV being a public health threat.

The 90-90-90 targets endorsed by governments in 2014 calling for 90 percent of people to know their status, 90 percent of poz to be on treatment, and 90 percent of poz people to reach undetectable is well on track. 

Engaging gay men in routine testing is a key aim of the vending machine strategy, led by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust HIV consultant Gillian Dean, who said, “This is a great example of true partnership working, combined with innovative technology.”

Experts say self-testing empowers individuals to test themselves in private and convenient settings and helps normalise the conversation about HIV.