This is enVIHos, a new free, at-home HIV self-testing service.

The Ministry of Health and the State Coordinator for HIV and AIDS (Cesida) launched free service EnVIHOsThis system offers home self-testing methods so that interested people can safely test for HIV. confidentialat a place and time convenient for you. The goal of the campaign is to facilitate access to means of detecting the human immunodeficiency virus.

Spain diagnosed 2956 HIV cases in 2022of which 10.6% correspond to people under 25. Although the number of Spaniards infected with the virus has decreased over time, there are concerns about the slowness of detection: in 2023, 48% of new diagnoses were made lateIt is estimated that 7.5% of people with HIV currently do not know they have the infection.

“This new initiative aims to remove barriers to access HIV testing in areas where public resources are lacking, facilitating early diagnosis and strengthening public health,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

System EnVIHOs It starts through the website of the same program (envihos.com). It asks the interested person to fill out anonymous questionnairewhere information is collected regarding the motivation for taking the test. The survey asks for, among other things, information such as age, gender, sexual orientation or drug use. Subsequently, you must provide the address where you wish to receive the test.

Once this information is known, one of the pharmacies cooperating with the service will send the self-test to the specified address within 3-5 days. Along with it, an information card from Chesida will arrive with all the organization’s available resources and explanations of what to do in case of a positive result. These tests can be requested for free Maximum four times a year per person.

The new initiative aims to remove barriers to accessing HIV testing in areas where public resources are lacking, promoting early diagnosis and strengthening public health. The ultimate goal is reduce the percentage of undiagnosed population from 7.5% to 5%.

The entire process will be coordinated by the HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Directorate of the Ministry of Health, which acts as a link between the companies producing the self-diagnosis products, the distribution companies and the pharmacies. The Ministry of Health hopes that the agreements can be extended until the end of 2026, and that the collaboration can be extended to new pharmacies throughout Spain.

He Self-testing for HIV is a self-diagnostic package designed to detect the presence of this virus. There are two types: saliva test wave puncture test. The first involves taking a sample of oral fluid, while the second involves taking a blood sample through a small injection. Both can be done at home without the need for prior medical knowledge.

The results take about 20 minutes appear. Users should follow specific instructions and recommendations included with the product to ensure accurate results.