Kerala AIDS e Forum: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Blood to become dearer as NAAT becomes mandatory (Express Buzz)

Byju Aryad

23 November 2010

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/blood-to-become-dearer-as-naat-becomes-mandator/225301.html

KOCHI: The introduction of the fourth generation laboratory test, or Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), for detecting HIV, which can identify the infection in no time, might increase the cost of blood bought from blood banks.

This is because NAAT is costly as the test might be Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500.At present, an HIV infected patient could be detected only after two or three weeks. The Elisa test, which is now being conducted for detection of HIV, is cheaper and thus 500 ml of blood could be bought from blood banks at a nominal cost of Rs 400 to Rs 500.

NAAT will be introduced at the Kochi IMA blood bank for the first time from next month. The facility for testing blood from private hospitals will also be undertaken by the IMA blood bank to ensure that the donor is infection free.

IMA blood bank secretary Dr Narayanan Kutty told Express that it is the presence of antibodies which is being detected through the Elisa test. The antibodies of an infected person can be found only after a period of time which can differ from person to person, causing the delay in diagnosis. There have been instances where during 'window period,' the time between HIV infection and the production of antibodies, the antibody may give a false negative result even though a person is infected with HIV. The window period could be reduced only with the NAAT or fourth generation test which is costly.

As the IMA blood bank is in the social service sector without making any profit, it could provide the blood after the NAAT at a cost of around `650. Narayanan Kutty said the cost of the test could be compensated to a certain extent with the charge realised from the lab testing for private hospitals. Though the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is yet to make it mandatory for all the states in the country, the metropolitan cities in India have introduced the same.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/blood-to-become-dearer-as-naat-becomes-mandator/225301.html

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Vacancy for Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Sangama

Vacancy for Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Sangama, Bangalore

For GFATM Round 9 HIV/MSM-TG component

Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Employer: SANGAMA

Application deadline: 10th December 2010

Contact: Arul Durai S

About Sangama:

Sangama, a human rights organization founded in 1999 works mainly with sexual minorities, sex workers and people living with HIV in India through human rights activism, community led campaigns, providing support to community based organizations, producing documentary films, reports, etc. Helping community organizations in providing health services and advocating for health rights is an important part of our work.

Job Description of the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Project Pehchan:

The principal role of the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Project Pehchan will be to collect data from Sangama's partner CBOs, data clarification and cleaning, data analysis, preparation of M&E tools and technical reports, providing feedback and data collection guidance to the partner CBOs, data storage and interaction with the project staff and India HIV/AIDS Alliance staff and providing necessary research assistance to the project team.

Key responsibilities of the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer:

a) Programme Management:

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer needs to work with the other members of the team to contribute in implementation and review of effective monitoring for agreed project deliverables. S/he will maintain up-to-date accurate records on the prescribed Management Information System (MIS) and programme indicators at all levels and will analyze the data and provide support in compilation of collected information, including workshop reports, quarterly and annual reports and review and planning reports. S/he will also be required to support the implementation of an online CMIS for the project and provide intensive support to partner CBOs in MIS systems and procedures (including accuracy) to ensure donor compliance.

b) Programme Evaluation and Innovative/Operations Research:

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will have to participate in programme evaluations and innovative / operation research studies in thematic areas and need to prepare necessary reports and disseminate the learnings through presentations and publications.

c) Capacity Building and Technical Support to the Project Staff and CBO Partners:

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will have to support the assessment processes and in developing monitoring and evaluation capacity building plans for needs identified; and also will have to monitor, review and evaluate the progress and impact of the capacity building programmes.

d) External Relationships and Networking:

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will maintain and strengthen effective relationships between all partners of Pehchan Project, and will provide support to Project Manager and other team members in programme evaluations, strategies and data analysis and liaison with SACS, TSUs, DAPCUs and others for necessary coordination and data sharing.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will report to the Project Manager, Project Pehchan

Skills and Qualifications Required:

1. At least three years of experience in monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS programmes or other similar health programmes.

2. An eye for detail and experience in data analysis and use of analytical software packages (like SPSS or STATA) and Microsoft Office software.

3. Demonstrated knowledge base and documentation skills in relation to gender, sexuality, human rights and HIV/AIDS communication.

4. Good command over English language (written and spoken). Ability to speak and write in Kannada and / or Malayalam languages will be considered an added qualification.

5. Ability to work independently and as a team player in a complex, multicultural environment, with demonstrated leadership, communication, networking and presentation capabilities.

6. Willingness to travel extensively in Karnataka and Kerala states for planning and implementation of the project activities. Salary will be based on experience and skills.

Sangama believes in affirmative action and encourages people from marginalized backgrounds to apply for this post, including: sexual minorities and their family members, sex workers and their family members, people living with HIV and their family members, women, dalits, adivasis, religious minorities and persons with disability. Interested candidates may apply by sending their complete CV (with contact details of self and 2 people who know their work as references) to sangamavikasa@gmail.com by 10th December, 2010.

Sarath Cheloor

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Friday, November 26, 2010

Availability of HIV Testing Kits and Mandatory Testing at Healthcare Facilities [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Media Monitor included below]

Note: The following news appeared in the Malayala Manorama Daily of 25 November 2010. Regular availability of testing kits is an important issue and hence requires immediate action. At the same time, the news raises concerns and questions.

1. Is routine and mandatory HIV test considered as the norm before deliveries and surgeries ?

2. Are these free testing kits supplied by Government being used for mandatory tests in Kerala ?

PS: - This news item is from the print edition; a web link could not be obtained.

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1 of 1 File(s)

Availability-of-HIV-Testing-Kits-MM-25-Nov-10.pdf

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Attachment(s) from Media Monitor

Job Vacancies at Kerala State AIDS Control Society

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KeralaAIDS/message/368
Vacancy Announcement

Applications are invited for the following posts on deputation / contract basis in Kerala State AIDS Control Society:

Sl. No.	Designation	No. of Vacancy
1	Deputy Director (Finance)	One
2	Assistant Director (STD)	One
3	District Programme Manager (HIV/AIDS)	One
4	Statistical Assistant / Computer Programmer	One
5	Consultant (CST)	One
6	Assistant Director (Doc & Publicity)	One
7	Driver (Blood Mobile)	One
8	Driver (Mobile ICTC)	Two
9	Attendant	One

Please click here for further details of the positions and duties and responsibilities.

Deputation / Contract will be initially for a period of one year which may be extended further at the discretion of the Kerala State AIDS Control Society. The envelope should be super scribed with the name of the post for which application is being made. Last date of receiving applications is 18.12.2010. Applications received after 5 pm on 18.12.2010 will be summarily rejected.

Application may be sent to:

The Project Director,
Kerala State AIDS Control Society,
Red Cross Road, Thiruvananthapuram-695035

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Schools to Observe World AIDS Day (Circular from Edu Dept and Pledge) [1 Attachment]

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KeralaAIDS/message/367

Dear All,

I am happy to inform you that a proposal of Kerala SACS to convene a Pledge and a Talk in a special Assembly covering all Schools in Kerala ( High Schools, Higher Secondary and Vocational Secondary ) in connection with the observance of World AIDS Day 2010 is approved by the Education Dept. of Kerala. More than 4000 schools will observe the World AIDS Day on 1 December 2010.

Please find attached the Circular issued to the Departments concerned and the Pledge. We look forward for your support in making this initiative a success.

Thanking you and with regards,

Nijo

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Nijo V. J.,
Consultant (Youth Affairs),
Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS),
Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, (Government of Kerala),
Red Cross Road , Thiruvananthapuram - 695 035.

Ph: 0471 2304882
Fax: 0471 2305183

1 of 1 File(s)

World AIDS Day 2010 Kerala Edu Dept Circular & Pledge.pdf

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Attachment(s) from Nijo V. J.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Government of India Press Release on HIV Prevalence, with State-wise details

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=67292

Friday, November 19, 2010

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS

15:22 IST

As per the HIV Estimations 2010, India is estimated to have 23.9 lakh people infected with HIV in 2009 at an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 0.31%. Adult HIV prevalence among men is 0.36%, while among women, it is 0.25%. The State-wise details of HIV prevalence among men and women and estimated number of HIV infections among men, women and children are annexed.

National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) under National AIDS Control Programme Phase – III has developed a communication strategy to create awareness about HIV/AIDS and promote safe behaviors. Campaigns are conducted regularly on mass media supported by outdoor media such as hoardings, bus panels, information kiosks, folk theatre, and exhibition vans. At the inter-personal level, training and sensitization programmes for Self-Help Groups, Anganwadi Workers, ASHA, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other key stakeholders are carried out. Vulnerabilities of High Risk Groups including commercial sex workers (CSW), men having sex with men (MSM) , injecting drug users (IDU) and also truck drivers and migrants are specifically addressed through behavior change communication programmes implemented as part of Targeted Intervention (TI) projects. In addition, Integrated Counselling & Testing Centres (ICTC), STI clinics and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres have provision of counseling and provide necessary information to clients approaching them. NACO has also launched two phases of Red Ribbon Express project, in 2007-08 and 2009-2010 to generate awareness about HIV/AIDS across the country through a special exhibition train supported by outreach activities.

A Part of expenditure incurred in a financial year by Government of India towards implementation of National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-III) is reimbursed by the international agencies. The financial assistance received as reimbursement in the last three years and the current year are as follows.

2007-08 – Rs. 623.85 crore

2008-09 – Rs. 653.01 crore

2009-10 – Rs. 662.52 crore

2010-11 – Rs. 211.62 Crore (Till 13.11.2010)

There is a tripartite agreement between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) for carrying out HIV/AIDS vaccine research in India. The first agreement was signed in year 2000 and was extended further in 2005. The vaccine development agreement between IAVI and ICMR for the development and testing of the vaccines and tripartite agreement between NACO (GOI), ICMR, and IAVI would end by end of 2010. Under this agreement, the first HIV vaccine trial was conducted at NARI, Pune using Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) based HIV-1 subtype C vaccine candidate; second trial at TRC, Chennai evaluated

Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) based vaccine and the currently ongoing trial at TRC and NARI, Pune is evaluating a DNA-MVA prime boost strategy.

TBC-M4 vaccine has been manufactured by Therion Biologics Corporation, Combridge, MA, USA. ADVAX is manufactured as a sterile, purified plasmid DNA product by Vical Incorporated (San Diego, CA).

Annexure

Estimated Adult HIV Prevalence and Estimated number of HIV Infections among men, women and Children, State-wise, 2009

S.No	State	Estimated Adult HIV Prevalence		Estimated No. of HIV Infections
		Male (%)	Female (%)	Male	Female	Children (0-14 yrs)
1	Andaman & NicobarIslands	0.29	0.15	357	38	71
2	Andhra Pradesh	1.07	0.73	3,01,116	1,98,504	20,207
3	Arunachal Pradesh	0.2	0.12	686	395	42
4	Assam	0.1	0.06	8,883	5,360	330
5	Bihar	0.26	0.17	75,864	44,606	4,897
6	Chandigarh	0.46	0.29	2,059	1,008	1,454
7	Chhattisgarh	0.34	0.22	24,667	15,107	1,141
8	Dadra Nagar Haveli	0.17	0.12	173	112	11
9	Daman & Diu	0.18	0.13	156	95	10
10	Delhi	0.35	0.23	22,308	11,908	665
11	Goa	0.58	0.4	3,287	2,153	250
12	Gujarat	0.44	0.3	84,441	52,433	5,418
13	Haryana	0.17	0.07	8,118	7,734	388
14	Himachal Pradesh	0.23	0.16	5,400	3,478	118
15	Jammu & Kashmir	0.09	0.06	3,430	1,973	606
16	Jharkhand	0.16	0.1	14,904	8,670	871
17	Karnataka	0.75	0.51	1,48,089	97,433	9,475
18	Kerala	0.23	0.15	24,429	15,631	4,546
19	Madhya Pradesh	0.23	0.16	52,598	32,205	25
20	Maharashtra	0.64	0.45	2,56,679	1,63,110	23,831
21	Manipur	1.89	0.9	18,731	8,042	667
22	Meghalaya	0.1	0.07	824	508	131
23	Mizoram	0.97	0.64	3,822	2,203	1,762
24	Nagaland	0.94	0.61	8,481	4,639	267
25	Orissa	0.35	0.23	44,417	27,396	1,992
26	Puducherry	0.33	0.22	1,372	882	78
27	Punjab	0.37	0.26	36,111	20,816	3,909
28	Rajasthan	0.22	0.15	47,520	28,797	5
29	Sikkim	0.07	0.05	148	83	114
30	Tamil Nadu	0.39	0.27	93,023	61,719	6,749
31	Tripura	0.18	0.12	2,099	1,327	7,355
32	Uttar Pradesh	0.11	0.07	68,624	40,728	105
33	Uttarakhand	0.12	0.08	3,571	1,968	6,956
34	West Bengal	0.34	0.23	1,02,858	65,136	4
	INDIA	0.36	0.25	14,69,245	9,26,197	1,04,450