About the STAR Initiative
The Unitaid-funded HIV Self-Testing Africa (STAR) Initiative is a five-year project to catalyse the market for HIV self-testing.
The first phase (2015-2017) conducted the world’s largest evaluation of HIV self-testing to date. This generated vital information about how to distribute self-test products effectively, ethically and efficiently, with adequate post-test support services, and answered key questions about the feasibility, acceptability and impact of this intervention.
Phase one generated multi-country public evidence to inform WHO normative guidance, and supported the development of national-level policy on HIV self-testing. The evidence generated also informed estimates of the market size, encouraged market entry among potential HIV self-test kit manufacturers, and informed the scale up of HIV self-testing globally.
With funding support from Unitaid, 4.8 million HIV self-test kits will be distributed across Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland by 2020.
For more information on STAR, see:
