Health Policy Issues and Health Programmes in ... - Amazon S3

HIV/AIDS in India and UttaranchalSession 5HIV/AIDS in India and UttaranchalMohmed Shaukat, Deputy Director (Technical), NACO, New DelhiThe first case of AIDS in India was detected in 1986. Since then, HIV infectionshave been reported in all states and union territories. By 31 December 2001,31,336 AIDS cases had been reported. Available data from the beginning ofthe sentinel surveillance to the present indicate a varied picture.Epidemiological analysis of the data and reports in India indicate thefollowing.l The greatest number of HIV infections has been reported in Maharashtraand Tamil Nadu, and among intravenous drug users (IDUs) in the northeasternstate of Manipur.l Trends indicate two distinct characteristics in the spread of HIV infection—from individuals practising risky behaviours to the general populationand from urban to rural areas.Every year from August to October, a survey round is conducted in thedesignated sites. During 2001, the survey was conducted in 320 sites, whichincluded 135 sites in clinics for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), 170 sitesin antenatal care (ANC) clinics, 13 sites among IDU clinics, and two sites inclinics for men having sex with men (MSM).Forty-nine districts, mostly in high-prevalence states, have shown a highprevalence of HIV among STD and ANC sites during this round.Based on sentinel surveillance data, HIV prevalence in the adult populationcan be broadly classified into the following three groups of states and unionterritories in the country (Figure 1):l Group I includes states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland, where HIV infection hasexceeded one per cent or more among antenatal women.l Group II includes states such as Gujarat, Goa, and Pondicherry, where HIVinfection has exceeded five per cent among high-risk groups, but theinfection is below one per cent among antenatal women.176