WHO raises concern over shortage of HIV testing

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a shortage of HIV testing could undermine global efforts to diagnose and treat people who catch the infection.

After collating the responses of surveys sent to 127 countries between 2012-14, WHO found that there were concerning gaps in provision. The surveys enquired about capacity and usage of blood tests that check HIV status and health.

The findings suggested that the United Nations targets for HIV could be missed as a result.

Current targets include ensuring 90 per cent of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status; 90 per cent of those diagnosed should receive antiretroviral therapy and 90 per cent of these treated patients should have ‘durable viral suppression’.

WHO stressed that laboratory testing was vital in order to meet and monitor these aims.

The data identified that while testing provision did improve over the years, there remained shortfalls in some parts of the world, including African countries were the HIV burden is high.

Commenting on the findings in the journal PLoS, Vincent Habiyambere, said: "A national laboratory strategic plan to strengthen services must be developed, implemented, and monitored by governments and their national and international partners.

"The focus of the international community, to ensure optimal use of laboratory technologies, should be on those countries where interventions for scaling up access to HIV diagnostic technologies are most needed."