AIDS Committee Of Toronto ACT: OraSure

HIV Dept: The OraQuick test from OraSure is designed to detect the presence of HIV using a mouth swab within 20 minutes, according to CBC. In Canada, the number of people with HIV, including AIDS, continues to rise, from an estimated 57,000 in 2005 to about 65,000 by the end of 2009, a 14 per cent increase, according to the AIDS Committee of Toronto ACT . Key facts on HIV/AIDS: HIV has claimed 25 million lives over three decades; about 34 million people were living with HIV in 2010. HIV infection can be diagnosed through blood tests detecting presence or absence of antibodies and antigens. A cure for HIV has not been found, but patients on antiretroviral drugs can control the virus and lead healthy lives. In 2010, around 6.6 million people with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries, but over seven million others are waiting for access to treatment and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter HIV test, allowing people to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their homes. Government officials estimate one-fifth, or about 240,000 people, of the 1.2 million HIV carriers in the U.S. are not aware they are infected. Testing is one of the chief means of slowing new infections, which have held steady at about 50,000 per year for two decades. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.