Atlanta Walmarts to offer free HIV test kits
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A telemedicine company is launching a pilot program at seven Atlanta-area Walmart stores to provide free at-home HIV tests.
Why it matters: It's estimated that 40% of new diagnoses of the human immunodeficiency virus are transmitted by people who don't know they're infected, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The big picture: Southern states had 52% of HIV infections in 2021. The Atlanta metro area had the third-highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. during 2021 — more than 25 of every 100,000 people.
- Georgia's overall diagnoses rate was 27.4 during 2022, the highest in the U.S.
Zoom in: Arkansas' rate that year was 11.9, compared to 13.3 nationwide.
How it works: MISTR, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said customers can ask for a testing kit at the participating Walmart pharmacies, follow instructions and receive their results in five to seven days. The company will offer a connection to health care services if results are positive.
- Stores are in Atlanta, Decatur, Ellenwood, Stockbridge and Morrow.
Backstory: Tristan Schukraft founded MISTR to help friends get access to PReP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) drugs, which can reduce the risk of getting HIV by as much as 99%.
- The company began prescribing DoxyPEP — an antibiotic that can help prevent sexually transmitted infections after exposure — in April.
What they're saying: "For the first time in a generation, you can eliminate HIV if all of those that are negative are on PrEP and all those that are positive are virally suppressed," Schukraft told Axios.
What we're watching: MISTR calls the effort in Georgia a pilot, and Schukraft hopes he can expand the offer of free tests. "I would love to roll it out nationally," he said.
- Walmart's footprint could help make testing for HIV more accessible to people in rural communities, Schukraft said.