Getting tested for HIV can be a hurdle. A new partnership in the United States is trying to lower that barrier for men who have sex with men by offering free HIV self-test kits. The idea is simple: make testing private, convenient, and cost-free to encourage more people to know their status.
This report outlines the effort, but it doesn't tell us the results. We don't know how many people actually requested or used the kits, what their test results were, or if the program helped connect anyone to care. The report is more about describing the launch of the program than measuring its success.
Because this is just a report on a program starting up, we can't say if it worked or not. There's no data yet on whether this approach is effective at reaching people who otherwise wouldn't get tested. It's an important step in exploring new ways to increase testing, but the proof will come from future studies that track the outcomes.