Surveillance for the HIV infected
Ramachandran, P.
Health for the Millions 17(4): 15-19
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0970-8685 PMID: 12284224 Document Number: 315284
This article describes the efforts at early surveillance of HIV infection in India and calls for continued sentinel surveillance. The fact that Asia was the last continent to be affected by the AIDS has granted India an opportunity to contain the epidemic at an early stage. Seizing this opportunity, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) began an national serosurveillance program for the detection of HIV infection. This surveillance program has given health officials an idea as to the magnitude and major mode to transmission of HIV while the epidemic is still at an early stage. The 1st phase of the program began on October 1985 with the screening of 3027 people from high risk groups; 10 prostitutes were found to be infected with HIV. The 1st AIDS case was detected in May 1986. That same year, ICMR moved on to phase II, a national serosurveillance and clinical surveillance designed to gather information concerning the prevalence and major mode of transmission. The 2nd phase, which ended on October 1987, screened a total of 53,907 persons. 135 HIV and 14 AIDS cases were reported, indicating a low rate of infection even among high risk groups. The 3rd phase began in November 1987 and ended on October 1988. 109,632 individuals were screened, and 387 seropositive and 11 AIDS cases were detected. In 1990, a screening drug users in the state of Manipur showed an extremely high rate of infection. Drug users now compose the 2nd largest high- risk group after promiscuous heterosexuals. The surveillance findings have resulted in intervention measures, but sustained sentinel surveillance will be needed to provide midcourse corrections for ongoing intervention programs.