If the samples test positive for the potentially fatal diseases, patients will not be told because the testing is being carried out anonymously and the testers will have no way of knowing who the patient is. Health Minister Stuart Syvret has announced that he hopes that the so-called ‘unlinked anonymised testing (UAT)’ will be up and running within months. If the scheme is rolled out as currently envisaged, left-over blood from samples from the relevant age group will be tested for both HIV and hepatitis C. The results from the tests will, for the first time, give health professionals an accurate picture of the prevalence of the two infections.
Jersey Evening Post
