Screenshot from CBRC video showing the INSTI HIV Self-Test - watch below. (Community-Based Research Centre)

By Josh Hall

National HIV Testing Day highlights need for better access

Jun 28, 2021 | 10:09 AM

Sunday, June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and advocates say they’re working on getting the word out about a new self-test that returns results in minutes using just a drop of blood.

Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) in Vancouver says the INSTI HIV Self-Test was approved by Health Canada in November 2020, but there remains little access to it.

Now, CBRC is making 15,000 kits available for free to gay, bi, trans, and queer men, as well as Two-Spirit and non-binary people who take the 2021 Sex Now survey. Participants can request up to three kits to use for themselves or give to those in their sexual or social networks.

At the most fundamental level, there is not enough access to HIV testing in Canada, the agency says.

“Even though a rapid HIV self-test kit has been approved for use in Canada, governmental leadership is lacking when it comes to ensuring that anyone who wants a test can get one,” says Chris Draenos, CBRC’s Test Now Research Manager. “Accessing HIV testing requires navigating a health system with many barriers, such as identification requirements, limited availability of services and providers, and potential stigma or discrimination from healthcare providers or staff.”

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Estimates suggest there are 9,000+ Canadians with HIV in Canada unaware of their status (14 per cent of people living with HIV) and don’t have access to treatment.

CBRC has also put out two videos to draw attention to the self-test kits and demystify their use.

Mitchell Danser, Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator at Red Deer’s Turning Point Society, says those who need it have become better at getting tested, but the COVID-19 pandemic has caused testing rates to drop. CBRC says the number of people who’ve delayed testing has doubled since the pandemic began.

“There is resistance and unease in getting out to get tested. There also isn’t a lot of information out there in terms of where to go, how long you have to wait, and what treatment is like,” Danser says. “It’s easier to live and continue life without pursuing that, but at the end of the day, it’s important for everybody’s health to go get tested. Just like mental health, sexual health is critical in the long run.’

Blood-spot testing is available at Turning Point on an ongoing basis, but the turnaround is slower than the new self-test kit. Danser notes Turning Point may have more to share about the self-test being available locally in the near future.

Testing is also available in Red Deer through the Street Clinic (Bay 160, 5017 49 Street), and at the Red Deer Sexual Health Clinic (4755 49 Street).

The most recent numbers for HIV cases in Alberta are from 2019, with a Government of Alberta report showing 252 new cases reported that year, steady year over year. In 2019, 39.3 per cent of HIV cases in the province were women, with the most affected demographic being males aged 40-59.

In AHS’ Central Zone, there were nine cases of HIV, down 18.2 per cent from the year prior.

National estimates showed 62,050 people living with HIV at the end of 2019.

Canada is currently part of a UNAIDS initiative to eliminate the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

National HIV Testing Week is in late November.