On World AIDS Day yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) encouraged people who have engaged in sexual activity to do a self test for HIV, and announced a time-limited free shipping service for anyone who orders the CDC’s HIV self-test kits through the end of the year.
World AIDS Day has been observed on Dec. 1 every year since 1988, and this year it was commemorated under the theme “Take the rights path: My health, my right!” the CDC said.
“In this year’s campaign, WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to champion the right to health by addressing the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS,” the WHO’s news release said.
People living with, at risk of or affected by HIV often experience a double burden of the disease itself and the stigma around it, and stigma and discrimination undermine the fight against AIDS, the WHO said.
“Challenging stigma and discrimination as well as protecting everyone’s human rights are essential to achieving universal HIV care and breaking down barriers to access,” it said.
Letting the public have the right knowledge about AIDS can help eliminate stigma and discrimination towards the disease, helping everyone to have access to needed HIV prevention, treatment and care services, the CDC said.
The CDC in 2017 launched a nationwide HIV self-testing program for people to easily obtain self-test kits at designated sites, vending machines, or by ordering through an online platform and picking them up at nearby convenience stores, it said.
The kits offer convenience and privacy, encouraging more individuals to get tested, the CDC said.
In honor of World AIDS Day, the CDC said it is providing a time-limited free shipping service for ordering the HIV self-test kits, starting yesterday through the end of the month.
People can order the HIV self-test kits for NT$200 each at the CDC’s dedicated Web site (https://hiva.cdc.gov.tw/Selftest), the CDC said.
If they register an anonymous membership, enter the test-kit number and upload their test result, they can receive a coupon for another free test kit, the CDC added.
The CDC recommends that people who are sexually active should get tested for HIV at least once, people who have engaged in unprotected sex should get tested at least once a year and those at higher risk — including those who share needles or syringes, have multiple sexual partners, have a drug addiction or have been diagnosed with another STD — should get tested every three to six months.
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