The UK's first HIV self-test goes on sale today, from BioSure. The test uses a small amount of blood from a finger prick to detect the presence of HIV antibodies. It is over 99.7% accurate.

NAT comments:

Deborah Gold, chief executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “We currently have a long way to go when it comes to diagnosing people with HIV on time. Over 40% of people living with HIV are diagnosed late, meaning they have been living with HIV for at least four years. People diagnosed late are 11-times more likely to die in the first year after diagnosis. To address this public health challenge we need to look at new ways for people to test and self-testing is an important and welcome additional option.”

For more information on HIV self-testing, NAT has created a HIV self-testing Q&A. For more information on BioSure's test visit their website.