Will HIV/Aids Self-Testing Help Reduce Pandemic in Tanzania?

The health ministry has said that plans are afoot to review the law and allow Tanzanians to test for the virus on their own. The government recently launched a Strategic Plan IV to combat new HIV/Aids infections by 2030, urging more men to volunteer to get tested.

Dodoma — The government said on Thursday that it is planning to review the law and allow Tanzanians test HIV on their own.

Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Ms Ummy Mwalimu said currently the laws do not allow individuals to test themselves.

"We have communicated with the Attorney General to bring the proposals for amendment and that will enable individuals to test HIV themselves within 15 minutes," said Ms Mwalimu.

She was responding to a supplementary question asked by Mr Masoud Salim (Mambile-CUF) who wanted to know what the government was doing to ease identification of people with HIV at a time when HIV prevalence has doubled in Dodoma.

Earlier, deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Mr Anthony Mavunde said the government plans to launch a special campaign to stimulate testing of HIV.