In Brighton You Can Test For HIV in a Gay Sauna

In the city of Brighton there was installed a vending machine for HIV tests in a gay sauna to inspire people to take care about their own health by regular testing for HIV. The vending machine distributes free fingerprick self-testing kits and the one who needed can get them anonymously and use it later at home or in the other comfortable place and get the result of HIV test in ten minutes.

Sauna is located in the southern part of the city and is accessible for everyone in working hours of the sauna. People, working in the sauna are educated to give a consultation about the way of testing and HIV preventative care and treatment. Only in more than one month the vending machine provided with tests more people than charity workers in half of a year.

The government plans to install another 10 machines in Brighton seeing good results of the pilot one. The information collected by the machine could also be used for the further studies.