UN to strategize towards ending HIV by 2030

The United Nations has settargetsto diagnose 90% of all peoplewith HIV by 2020 towards the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.
This was madeknown in a statementmade available to our correspondentin New York by the world body’s media unit.
The statementindicated that currently, it is estimatedthat only 54% ofpeople with HIV are aware of theirinfection. It added that in order to close thegap, countries are now required to rapidly increaseaccessto and uptakeof HIV testingservices; particularly among populations with lowest coverage and highest risk.
According tothe statement, the World Health Organization, WHO, is developing new guidance on HIV self-testing as part ofthe updated Consolidated guidelines on HIV testingservices, which are planned for release in December2016.
“While a formal recommendationon HIV self-testinghas not yet been issued, WHO has already provided programmatic guidance and encouragedcountries to startpiloting and conductingdemonstrationprojects to evaluate self-testing in their particular contexts”the statementreadsin parts.
It continued that self-testing had been proposed as an innovative way to contributeto this effort, stressingthat themethod is viewed as particularly effectiveatincreasing uptakeof testingamong peopleat risk or living with HIV who may not otherwiseseekHIV testing.
HIV self-testing is a processin which people can collect theirown specimen(saliva or blood), then performa testand interpret the result, often in private or with someonethey trust.
WHO’s existingguidance statesthat HIV self-testingdoes not provide a HIV-positive diagnosis; any reactive (positive) self-test resultshould beconfirmed using a validated national testing algorithm by a health-care provider.
Source: leadership NG