NARI set for monitoring trends and levels of HIV epidemic

[Guest guest]

NARI set for monitoring trends and levels of HIV epidemic

Anuradha Mascarenhas.

Pune: Even as the surveys in 2006 and 2007 reported a decline in HIV, the annual

exercise of tapping the trends for prevalence of the virus will now begin on

April 15. City-based National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) will commence the

exercise for eight states from Wednesday.

Dr R S Paranjape, director, NARI said that the core team of epidemiologists is

located at the institute and has been involved in training the trainers on how

to conduct the survey. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) conducts this

annual exercise all over the country with the help of National Institute of

Health and Family Welfare and National Institute of Medical Statistics since

1998.

This surveillance monitors the trends and levels of HIV epidemic among different

population groups in the country. It was estimated in 2007 that there are 2.31

million people living with HIV/AIDS in India with an estimated adult HIV

prevalence of 0.34 per cent. An overall decline in HIV prevalence was also found

among ante natal care clinic attendees.

Dr Sanjay Mehendale, deputy director, senior grade, NARI who is coordinating the

HIV sentinel surveillance programme said that NARI has been entrusted the task

since 2006 for seven states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa,

Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Diu and Daman and for Mumbai as a separate

location.

A total of 97 sites in Maharashtra, 54 in Madhya Pradesh, 46 in Rajasthan, 50 in

Gujarat, 8 in Goa, 17 in Mumbai, two in Diu and Daman and one in Dadra and Nagar

Haveli have been identified to conduct the surveillance. " NARI is responsible

for the training, monitoring, supervision and improving the quality of the

programme since 2006, " says Mehendale.

The sample size of pregnant women at ANC sites will be 400, while 250 patients

will be selected at the identified sexually transmitted infection sites in each

state. A sample size of 250 people will be identified among the groups for

targeted interventions like men having sex with men, female sex workers,

injecting drug users, truck drivers and migrant workers.

The surveillance programme will involve collection of blood samples. " This time

the team will collect dried blood smears, " Mehendale said. NARI has also been

involved in quality control measures , selection of new testing laboratories,

data analysis and provide suggestion for improvement of future round of surveys

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