| HIV/AIDS in India |
| Total population | 1,027,000,000 |
| People living with AIDS | 3,970,000 |
| Adults (15–49) | 3,800,000 |
| Women (15–49) | 1,500,000 |
| Children (0–15) | 170,000 |
| Overall adult rate: 0.8 percent |
| Percentage of national AIDS cases reported by only 10 states: 96 |
Source: UNAIDS/WHO Epidemiological Fact Sheet.
All numbers are estimates as of the end of 2001. |
As a result of the Population Council’s track record in HIV/AIDS research, the European Community in 2000 asked the Council to develop a small grants program to build research capacity in India. The “HIV/STI Prevention and Care Research Program” is designed to identify or develop evidence-based, affordable, and appropriate strategies that could prove effective in containing the spread of AIDS in India.
In 2001, a program team led by clinical epidemiologist Heiner Grosskurth and demographer Gurumurthy Rangaiyan assembled an advisory group of 25 experts—program managers, behavioral scientists, clinicians, and others. They developed a list of priorities that included investigating aspects of prevention, care, and support. A call for proposals produced 155 concept papers. Nine of the proposed studies were chosen for implementation, including:
Overcoming barriers
The majority of Indians live in rural areas where physicians are less available. Most people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) seek help from untrained, non-physician health care providers. Because STIs—and possibly reproductive tract infections (RTIs)—have been identified as factors in accelerating HIV transmission, addressing this gap in public health care has taken on new urgency. The Population Council, the Sarojini Naidu Medical College at Agra, and the Christian Hospital Chambra in Tehri Garhwal are collaborating to identify barriers to improving care for STIs/RTIs in rural areas.
Improving hospital care
The few Indian hospitals that can and do treat patients with HIV/AIDS are often overburdened. The Council is working with the Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore to develop and evaluate a physician training curriculum aimed at improving HIV clinical care in local hospitals. Trials will be conducted at 25 hospitals in southern India.
Improving treatment
Research by the Council, the All-India Institute for Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and the Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore aims to improve the treatment of STIs and RTIs in women. This project has been selected by the World Health Organization to evaluate the efficacy of WHO’s new, faster STI tests.
Training physicians
In urban areas, the majority of patients seek care for all types of health problems from private-sector physicians, most of whom were trained before the advent of AIDS. The Indian Medical Association, seeking to train 10,000 doctors from ten states in HIV/AIDS treatment, asked the Population Council to assist with the design and pilot-testing of an effective training program. Following initial research on physicians’ needs and other topics, the Council’s Horizons program is collaborating with several nongovernmental organizations in Bangalore and Karnataka to develop a course that will be evaluated for effectiveness by the Council after a trial run.
(Return to issue contents)
See Also
- India
- "Enhancing HIV/AIDS Care in South India," Population Briefs, January 2004
(full text)
