HIV testing kits now available at some N.S. public libraries – CBC
Aug 09, 2024
A Nova Scotia organization says more work is needed to prevent the spread of HIV.
To do that, it is now providing at-home screening kits to some public libraries similar to the ones handed out for COVID-19 testing.
The Health Equity Alliance of Nova Scotia says testing is key to lowering the infection rates of HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — and other sexually transmitted infections.
“STI testing infrastructure in Nova Scotia is really, really atrociously underserved,” said Chris Aucoin, the executive director of the alliance.
“We know from research done in other parts of the world that the cornerstone of any reduction in HIV rates is based on access to tests.”
The alliance, formerly known as the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia, provides HIV support and prevention services across the province.
Aucoin says the advancement of at-home testing technology has opened up new opportunities to slow the spread of the virus across the country.
