HIV testing and counselling
HIV testing and counselling (HTC) services have helped millions of people learn their HIV status and for those testing positive, learn about options for long term care and treatment. In 2010, WHO estimated95 million people in low- and middle-income countries received HIV testing and counselling in the past 12 months and learned their test results.
The development and use of rapid, point-of-care HIV tests in the late 1990s have facilitated expansion of HIV testing services. These rapid tests can be performed with a finger-prick blood sample collected and processed by a trained community worker and can be conducted outside of health facilities and traditional testing sites. Use of more than one rapid test can provide immediate, on-site confirmation of test results.
