SELF-TEST FOR HIV AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET

INTERNET users can now test themselves for HIV - and will soon be able to
check whether their children are using illicit drugs.

A search of the Internet will reveal dozens of companies that offer a range
of tests, from allergies, to cholesterol, stomach ulcers and HIV. Some
tests can be done at home while others rely on a sample being sent to a
laboratory for testing - but they've all got one thing in common - they are
available on the Internet.

Simply by accessing a site on the Internet and ordering a kit, a HIV test
can be self-administered and the result known within 10 days. It is
anonymous, and the only person who will know is the person who conducted
the test.

It's a far cry from the days when a person who wanted an HIV test was
referred to a hospital or clinic.

Home testing kits are considered as being medical devices and are not
regulated by the Irish Medicines Board, but directly by the Department of
Health.

However, it has no control over what is sold over the Internet.

The news comes as a new product is to be launched in the UK which will
allow parents to test their children for illicit drug use.

For about #30 a time the home test kit will test for a range of illegal
drugs, including heroin, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines.

Dr Brown's Home Drug Testing Kit is the latest DIY test to be marketed in
the United States.

According to an article in the current edition of Medicine Weekly, many
doctors are concerned about the growing trend of home testing.

They are worried about the accuracy of the tests, the skill required of the
person using the tests, and the possible misinterpretation of results.

The Irish Medical Organisation believes the tests should be tied to a
medical consultation, while Dr Mary Horgan a consultant in infection
diseases at Cork University Hospital believed that hearing that you have a
fatal disease over the phone from someone you have never met was
"devastating news."

She said the most important part of the test for HIV was the counselling
the patient received before and after the test.