Study shows MUHC researchers award-winning self-testing app for HIV to be essential

dr-nitika-pant-pai-ri-muhc-scientist-hivsmart-app
Dr Nitika Pant Pai, Scientist RI-MUHC with HIVSMART! app. Photo: McGill Newsroom

McGill University Health Centre researchers who developed a smartphone app for people to test themselves at home for HIV have found that the software has immense potential to help reduce the transmission of the virus and to link those who are infected with timely treatment.

In 2012 the U.S. FDA approved in home oral HIV self tests, unfortunately in Canada home-based HIV tests are not yet approved. Therefore participants visited the Clinique Médicale L’Actuel, where they took a saliva test while while using the multilingual app.

“It is estimated that 30-40 per cent of people living with HIV do not know their HIV status, which can have a serious effect on the spread of the disease.” Julie Robert, McGill Newsroom

There men (0.7 per cent) who participated in the study were confirmed as HIV-positive, and gained access to a Montreal physician the same day, thanks to the app.

Read full article at The Montreal Gazette: MUHC researchers develop effective HIV self-testing app: study

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