Several Nova Scotia libraries are now distributing HIV test kits.
Chris Aucoin, executive director of the Nova Scotia Alliance for Health Equity, says testing is crucial to lowering HIV infection rates.
Research elsewhere in the world has shown that the basis for any reduction in HIV infection rates starts with access to testing, he says.
Overall, Nova Scotia’s sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing infrastructure is woefully inadequate, says Chris Aucoin.
Advances in science make HIV self-testing possible, and this offers an additional opportunity to fight the virus, he adds.
The service is similar to that offered for COVID-19 testing kits that citizens could obtain free of charge in public libraries.
The idea is that these tests should be as easily accessible as possible, free of charge.
The self-test kit contains a small instrument that takes a drop of blood from the fingertip. It takes about two minutes to get the result.
Health Canada authorized the use of an HIV self-test kit for the first time in November 2020. The reliability of these tests — around 99% — is considered very high.
In Nova Scotia, the kits are now available in at least 27 locations, within the public library systems of Cumberland County, the Pictou-Antigonish region, the South Shore and the eastern counties of the province.
The service is an example of the growing role public libraries are playing in rural and more isolated communities, said Michelle Greencorn, a community engagement manager with the Eastern Nova Scotia Library System, which covers Guysborough, Richmond and Inverness counties.
People can go to the library and pick up a kit without having to give their name or even talk to anyone, she explains.
Obviously, our employees are there to help them if they have any questions, she adds.
According to the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, there have been 33 new cases of HIV infection in the past year, 26 in men and 7 in women.
According to the report ofErin Pottie, CBC
