Online HIV testing prioritizes privacy

Bao Yugang (left), head of AHF China and Xiao Dong, who is in charge of Ai Yi Jian in Beijing, pose for photos during the ceremony.? [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An online HIV-testing service was launched by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) China to provide an easier and more private testing solution to possible HIV-infected patients on Wednesday in Beijing.

Users can log on to http://i.hivct.org, or Ai Yi Jian, and apply for a self-testing kit for free, or make an appointment for offline testing. After doing the test, users can upload the results and get feedback within 15 minutes.

As early as 2013, AHF piloted the online testing system in Beijing and got back 7,261 self-test results among the 8,000 testing kits distributed. 10 percent tested positive.

Offline testing services covered bars and parks in major cities. The service covered two bars each in Chongqing and Shanghai municipalities and Sichuan province from January to October in 2017 and found 7 percent of subjects tested positive for HIV.

In Beijing, the services were provided during the same period in Dongdan Park and Mudanyuan Park in urban city, where gay men frequent.

China was home to 665,000 HIV-infected people by the end of 2016. MSM, or men who have sex with men, are a major risk group for syphilis infection and thus more vulnerable to the HIV virus.

A Men's Wellness Center was piloted by AHF in a MSM charity group in 2016. By the end of October 2017, 2,642 received health tests at the center and 92 tested positive for HIV. Another 185 got free treatment for syphilis.

The MSM group has long dealt with difficult circumstances, as they lack health education and sexually transmitted infection prevention solutions. Public discrimination poses the biggest threat to them in terms of getting treatment.

AHF China celebrated its 12th anniversary on Wednesday. Bao Yugang, head of AHF China and deputy Asia bureau chief, said the group's mission is to provide instant, convenient and non-discriminatory treatment and care to every HIV-infected patient. He added the online testing system will be introduced to other AHF partners in Asia.

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Los Ageless, AHF is the world's largest HIV/AIDS prevention charity group, with more than 5,600 staff members from 39 countries. In China, AHF has set up 41 service centers in 14 provinces nationwide.

From January to September of 2017, the AHF Chinese centers have served 117,000 people for rapid testing and found 5,511 infections.