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Demand grows for at-home testing kits amid spike in HIV cases

HIV is on the rise nationwide and Massachusetts is seeing a spike across the board.

The CDC estimates nearly 20 million new sexually-transmitted infections occur every year.

"The opioid crisis really is the perfect storm infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, as well," said Carl Sciortino, executive director, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

Boston 25 News recently reported a spike in HIV cases in Lawrence and Lowell. That spike got the attention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now the CDC is warning all sexually active adults to get tested and protect themselves and others.

That's now creating a demand for at-home rapid testing.

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Increased needle use is undoing decades of progress in stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Sciortino and non-profits lobbied the State House to keep their $30.8 million in funding in the state budget after the state saw a historic spike in cases.

"To go from 24 cases to 75 to over 100 cases annually, now statewide, is a real warning sign that we're losing ground in the crisis in the stop of the spread of HIV," said Sciortino.

Many cases of Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis continue to go undiagnosed and unreported and there is a nationwide plea for regular testing of sexually active adults.

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Rapid HIV and STD kits not only provide results in minutes, you can buy them on Amazon, at major drug stores, and Planned Parenthood launched an app they call the "Uber" of STD testing where tests are sent to your door - and you're connected to a healthcare provider within seconds of getting results.

"We're seeing increases in sales both to the retail outlets that serve consumers as well as public health and community based organizations," said Kathleen Weber, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Producers Orasure Technologies, Inc.

Weber told Boston 25 News they don't disclose sales numbers, but they are a leading manufacturer of rapid HIV tests.

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"There's still one in seven Americans who are infected with HIV and don't know it, and disproportionately contribute to the spread of the disease," said Weber.

The key is connecting those who test positive to care.

"You can't be treated if you've passed away. Our work is far from over," said Sciortino.

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