Self Tests Empower Us to Take Control of Our Health
Stephen Tang
Transformative Leader | 30+ Years as Chairman & CEO in For-Profit, Nonprofit & Government | Best-Selling Author | Leadership Roles in Launching All Three FDA-Cleared Infectious Disease Self-Tests | Pioneer in Innovation
Even hard puzzles have a solution. OraSure CEO Steve Tang explores how all of the pieces at OraSure fit together to unlock endless potential.
Self Tests Empower Us to Take Control of Our Health
National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is June 27, and the rally cry for testing sounds slightly different this year. An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, and roughly 14 percent of them don’t know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While there were disruptions to HIV testing services during COVID-19 pandemic, I was heartened to hear White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci say late last month that he thinks the U.S. can still achieve its goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. And furthermore, that despite the ongoing COVID pandemic, he does not feel the nation has not gone “backward” in the fight against HIV[AK1] .
One of the reasons for this – and one of the reasons for the rally cry shift – is HIV self testing. In fact, the CDC’s theme for this year’s testing day is “My Test, My Way,” and it encourages people to take charge of their health by getting tested for HIV in a way that is comfortable for them—whether it’s self-testing in the comfort and privacy of their own home or finding a trusted testing site in the community.
Self-testing, which enables social distancing, has become a key strategy in the efforts to help people continue to know their HIV status. It also removes the stigma of HIV, which translates to increased awareness of HIV status in people who might otherwise be too self-conscious to ask for a test from a healthcare provider. For some people, that may mean a level of comfort of buying a test online or walking into a pharmacy and buying a test to take at home. For others, it may mean getting the test from a community healthcare provider but taking it – and more importantly getting results – at home and in private with the opportunity to follow up with a physician if necessary.
Both scenarios support the trend toward consumers taking charge of their health via reliable, easy-to-use testing and sample collection. The more we know about ourselves, the more control we have regarding our individual and collective health. This information helps each of us take better care of ourselves, and ultimately has the power to improve our health and influence our longevity.
The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV at least once. For people at higher risk, the CDC recommends getting tested once a year or more often, depending on risk factors.
On this National HIV Testing Day, I encourage you to learn more about HIV testing and if you need one, to get tested – your way.
[AK1]https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/25/covid-fauci-says-us-can-still-end-hiv-epidemic-by-2030-despite-pandemic.html