The gay social app Grindr will urge its users to get tested for HIV every 3-6 months and direct them to the nearest testing place,
The NYT reports: “The company is making the move to “reduce H.I.V. transmission and support our whole community — regardless of H.I.V. status — in living long and fulfilling lives,” said Jack Harrison-Quintana, Grindr's director for equality. H.I.V. experts greeted the announcement enthusiastically.”
Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told the NYT that he predicts similar apps like Hornet and Scruff would do the same but said it would be particularly helpful if apps like Jack'd or Adam4 Adam, which appeal to users in minority communities which are more at-risk for HIV, would also follow suit.
In related news, Newsweek recently reported that an ultra-sensitive spit-based test could soon be available to detect HIV:
A super-sensitive, accurate spit-based test to detect HIV could be around the corner. Stanford researchers have developed a test that was 100 percent accurate in one study involving a handful of patients, according to findings published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS). If these results are confirmed in much larger studies, the test's proponents believe it could be an important tool in the fight to eradicate HIV.
