by Tom Walsh
Sydney has become home to Australia’s first pop-up HIV testing station.
The site is housed in a caravan and it allows people to get results from the simple finger prick test in just 30 minutes.
Health officials believe that the test centre, due to be set up at Taylor Square in Darlinghurst until 1 December, will help to curb to rise in HIV infections in New South Wales.
Dr Kerry Chant, the state’s chief health officer, said: “We want to break down those barriers.
“This way we can encourage early treatment if people are HIV positive, and prevent transmission.”
People who use the testing station have the option to wait around for their results or have a SMS alert telling them to pick them up.
There has been a growing problem of HIV infections in New South Wales with 2012 seeing a 24 per cent rise in cases and an 81 per cent increase in the gay community.
