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The general prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst antenatal women has dropped from 0.27% to 0.18% in Tamil Nadu, however eleven districts have recorded the next prevalence than the State’s common. With Tamil Nadu having “sufficient” well being infrastructure for testing and therapy, officers say they want to intensify measures to lift consciousness for lowering HIV/AIDS prevalence in the districts.
According to the just lately launched sixteenth spherical of HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS), 2019, amongst pregnant women, the highest 5 districts with excessive HIV prevalence are: Vellore (0.75%), Namakkal (0.75%), Krishnagiri (0.50%), Sivaganga (0.38%) and Coimbatore (0.38%). Tiruppur, Pudukottai, Madurai, Karur and Erode had a prevalence of 0.25% every. They had been the opposite main districts with HIV prevalence increased than the State common.
Tirunelveli recorded an HIV prevalence of 0.17%, whereas Virudhunagar, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchi, Tiruvallur, Salem, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore recorded 0.13%. The remaining 12 districts had zero HIV prevalence amongst antenatal care (ANC) clinic attendees.
HIV prevalence amongst ANC clinic attendees confirmed a declining development on the State degree and in most districts, together with Chennai. A rising development in the current previous was famous in Vellore and Namakkal. The findings from the spherical corroborated with earlier rounds, exhibiting a low and declining development on the State degree. A sustained declining development amongst antenatal women, nationally and on the State degree, is a constructive indicator of the profitable response of the National AIDS Control Programme. However, the district-level fluctuating traits are a seamless problem, in accordance with HSS.
What led to the drop in HIV prevalence amongst antenatal women? Deepak Jacob, venture director of the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society, mentioned, “Antenatal women are mandatorily tested for HIV/AIDS. We are testing 12.5 lakh women a year at the level of primary health centres, taluk hospitals and government medical college hospitals. This is 130% of our target. We link those who test positive to the Anti-Retroviral Therapy centres, numbering 55.”
Through the marketing campaign for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, prophylactic therapy is supplied and the new child of an HIV-positive mom is placed on a drug routine. At the tip of three months, the child is screened for HIV/AIDS, he added.
“The State has a robust testing network through Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC). We have 807 standalone ICTCs and 2,200 facility ICTCs. If a person tests positive for HIV at a facility ICTC, he/she is referred to a standalone centre. Similarly, we have inked memoranda of understanding with 177 private medical facilities where testing is being conducted,” he mentioned.
There are 16 cell ICTCs, and there are plans to extend this to 27. A proposal for a similar has been despatched to the National AIDS Control Organisation. “These units will be deployed at the 27 district AIDS prevention and control units that monitor testing and linkages of ‘People Living with HIV/AIDS to ART centres’. These units function in districts with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that they had been planning to accentuate IEC campaigns in the 11 districts with increased HIV prevalence, because the State already had ample well being infrastructure. Amid the pandemic, these efforts are more likely to be re-activated throughout December or January.
Officials mentioned a few of the 11 districts had been border districts, the place migrant/floating inhabitants was one of many challenges. Vellore has a migrant/floating inhabitants, whereas the Krishnagiri-Namakkal belt has a trucker inhabitants. It was tough to maintain observe of the migrant inhabitants, they mentioned.
The venture director recalled that TANSACS had taken up a particular marketing campaign final 12 months, throughout which a counsellor and lab technician visited the homes of moms who didn’t come to the hospitals, with their newborns, for testing.
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