New Offer – HIV Testing by Mail – Munich

The Munich Aidshilfe pilot project begins and aims to reduce barriers

Making an HIV test at home without complications – this is possible with a new pilot project, which began last week and was developed by the Munich Aidshilfe. If you want to know if you are HIV positive or if you have a venereal disease, you can take a urine sample, a drop of blood or a swab with a cotton swab, then send the samples by mail to a laboratory. in a plastic bag. In about three days, he receives the result by SMS, if it is negative. If an infection is detected, it receives an SMS with the callback request. In this case, the infected person receives a consultation and is referred on request.

Tests in England without having to go to his office are already possible in England. There, you can easily register online and request the test by mail. In Germany, you must consult a doctor, a health service or an establishment like Aidshilfe. According to Christopher Knoll of the Aidshilfe Munich, there are inhibitions, especially in rural areas. Still in the new pilot project, which is being tested in Munich, Nuremberg and Regensburg, we must return once again to a first consultation. In Munich, this offers the Aidshilfe or the Sub, the gay cultural center. "We would like to have spared people," says Knoll, but it's not yet legally possible. He hopes that the laws in Germany will be relaxed in the medium term, so that customers can order tests online, as in England.

The advantage of the new procedure is that the customer comes to a meeting for the first time. This is very simple and takes about 15 minutes, says Knoll. Then you can choose a subscription that automatically sends you the test package every three, six or twelve months. It includes tests that detect HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonococci, the causative agent of gonorrhea. The offer costs 32 euros per test process. If someone lives in the Bavarian Forest, he can register in Munich and test himself regularly at home.

The goal is to detect and treat more infections at an early stage. According to Aidshilfe, in Germany about 13,000 people living with HIV live without knowing it. One-third of all diagnoses are done only when there is already AIDS or severe immunodeficiency. Other badually transmitted infections often remain unrecognized for a long time. "We expect that after a year and a half, the project will unfold seamlessly across the country," says Knoll. "All of Germany is already waiting."