July 28th, 2010 7:38 am
“We undertook an analysis of recent trends in the incidence of HIV infection in the coastal district of Mangalore in the state of Karnataka to determine if current programs are targeted effectively. This district is one of the NACO sentinel surveillance sites for monitoring HIV transmission in India and has a population of almost 1.9 million, two-thirds of whom (62%) live in rural areas. The district has a literacy rate of 83.4%.
We conducted a retrospective record-based study in which data were collected from all VCT centres, STD clinics, PPTCT centres, and blood banks in both rural and urban areas in the district for the period January 2001 to December 2007. Consent for data collection was obtained from the Medical Superintendent of the District Government Hospital, District Health Officer and Family Welfare Officer of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Mangalore, and from the Nodal Officer for HIV/AIDS in Mangalore. (The Nodal Office, which reports to the District Health Officer, is in charge of implementing the program in the district.)”