Short Communication
Year: 2019 | Month: February | Volume: 9 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 226-229
Prioritizing Indian States for Implementation of Air Borne Infection Control Measures at HIV Care Settings
Dr. Suchit V Kamble1, Dr. Noopur Goel2, Dr. R. R. Gangakhedkar3
1Scientist D, Department of Epidemiology, National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India
2Senior Research Scientist, Department of Epidemiology, National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India
3Scientist G, Head of Epidemiology & Communicable Diseases, ICMR, Delhi, India
Corresponding Author: Dr. Suchit V Kamble
ABSTRACT
Implementation of fast track targets (90–90–90) and ‘test and treat all’ strategy is going to increase the life expectancy of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). However there is assumed burden in management of co-infections and co morbidities among them which will continue for longer time. Numbers of ARTC, Link ART centers, and Integrated Counselling and Testing Centers are increasing in India and most of free ARTC are overburdened and overcrowded. HIV‐infected clients with undiagnosed TB are expected to seek care in ARTC posing the risk of TB exposure to other patients as well as HCWs. Implementation of Airborne Infection Control (AIC) measures is one of the strategy for prevention of transmission of Tuberculosis. Though AIC measures implementation is being initiated under RNTCP programme, there is urgent need to assess its implementation under National AIDS Control Programme which is a vertical program being implemented by National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
Considering varied TB epidemiology and concentrated HIV epidemic in a wide geographical and resource constrain settings like India, Indian states should be prioritized in order to assess AIC status and its improvement in terms of capacity building and infrastructure. To prioritize states for AIC implementation, HIV prevalence at ANC sites, annual new smear positive case notification and proportion of TB patients known to be HIV infected among tested should be considered for individual state. Based on scoring system of these indicators, out of 37 states and Union Territories, NACO should priorities Mizoram and Nagaland urgently for AIC measures implementation.
Key words: Slum, Post partum, Determinants