Australia’s first HIV home-testing kit has been approved by the regulator, in a move that has been welcomed by health advocates as a key weapon in the fight to eradicate the virus.
Health Minister Greg Hunt will announce the approval of the kits by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Thursday morning.
AIDS organisations have been lobbying for home testing, which is already in use overseas, as they regard stigma as the final frontier in prevention and treatment - particularly for those living in the regional and rural areas.