The contribution of blood exposures to India's HIV epidemic

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

This note is in response to the submission to on 15 February titled

“Global experts trash Naco’s AIDS data.”

/message/6905

The submission attributes to us a quote that somewhat misrepresents our

position. We did not write that “…common lifetime exposures like dental care (31

per cent), surgery (20 per cent), blood tests

(100 per cent) and tattooing (47 per cent) are the main routes of HIV

transmission in India. "

We suspect that medical injections and other blood exposures are much more

important in India’s HIV epidemic than most experts have supposed. However,

there is no way to show that is so from available

data. Hence, we did not say so. The task at this point is to bring all the

evidence to the table, and to have an open discussion that informs and includes

all interested scientists in India.

To date, too much of what the public has heard about HIV infection comes from

international agencies that have imported their assumptions from Africa, and

that have not respected evidence from India. NACO has defended evidence from

India against international

agencies. We encourage NACO to continue along that path.

What we have said is (a) that available evidence from India does not correspond

to models touted by the World Bank and others that purport to show that

heterosexual commercial sex accounts for most HIV

infections in India, ( nor is information from AIDS case surveillance

sufficiently reliable to prove NACO’s estimate that sex accounts for most HIV

infections. We also say © that everyone seems to be ignoring a lot of blood

exposures that are risks for HIV transmission.

We make these arguments in 3 articles in the International Journal of STD & AIDS

(available at: http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr219.htm). More

information about our research is available at:

http://www.indiabusinessonline.com/ncasa/hivindiareport.pdf.

Before, during, and after our research, we have very much appreciated exchange

of information with NACO staff, and we look forward to further discussions and

debates. The topic at hand is something that can be resolved through evidence.

Best regards,

Mariette Correa

Gisselquist

Mariette Correa <mariettec@...>

Gisselquist <david_gisselquist@...>