Six pharmacies in the French territory surrounding Monaco have been selected to participate in an experimental national programme offering rapid and anonymous HIV screening tests. These tests provide fast results without any upfront payment for concerned individuals.

Confidential and delivering near-immediate results, HIV rapid screening tests can now be carried out at six pharmacies in Menton, Cap d’Ail, and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, making them the first in France to offer this testing system.

The scheme, launched by the French government in October, is a precursor to what is anticipated to become a nationwide roll-out in future.

“The project will initially be deployed on an experimental basis in certain areas of the Alpes-Maritimes, before a potential extension to other territories, less equipped with medical resources, depending on the results,” says a representative for Objectif Sida Zéro, a Nice-based association that supports people in the region living with HIV and AIDS. “This new lever for action will bring the region even closer to the ambitious objective of ending the transmission of HIV.” 

The tests can be accessed anonymously and without the need for a prescription. Results are provided free-of-charge.  

For more information about the testing system, click here. 

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Photo credit: Mariano Baraldi, Unsplash