West Bengal Govt starts headcount for AIDS

[Guest guest]

Govt starts headcount for AIDS

NO DATA : HIV prevalence is 0.9%, with 1.2% in Purulia, but only 152

deaths recorded so far

Ravik Bhattacharya

Kolkata, June 18: A week after the UNAIDS reported 4 lakh cases of

AIDS death in India during 2005, creating a nationwide uproar, the

West Bengal government has initiated its first-ever headcount of

people who died of HIV in the last five years.

While 0.9 per cent of the state's population are HIV-affected — in

Purulia the figure is over 1 per cent and an AIDS " epidemic " has

been declared there — only 152 deaths have been recorded in the last

three years. This, however, does not include deaths in the district

hospitals, simply because there is no system of recording such

deaths anywhere except Kolkata.

The survey will be done by a research team of National Institute of

Cholera and Enteric Disease (NICED), who will first visit all

medical colleges and hospitals and later the district hospitals and

delve into the records of all patients who died of HIV.

" The figure 152 is absurd. In fact, we have no records. This is

because in majority of cases, the AIDS is not mentioned in the death

certificate, though the patient had been HIV-positive. We also do

not have figures from the districts. The figures are indeed

necessary and we are trying hard to train doctors regarding this, "

said R S Shukla, Special Secretary, Health Department and director

of the state AIDS Prevention and Control Society (WBSAPCS).

According to Health Department officials, doctors refrain from

writing the cause of death in the death certificate if death is

caused by AIDS, since it is not mandatory. Moreover, though the

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has made it mandatory to mention in

the forms at burning ghats and burial grounds if the death was

caused by HIV, nobody cares to do it because of the stigma attached

to it.

The 10-member NICED team is led by professor Mihir Bhattacharya, the

WBSAPCS is providing the funds. An initial Rs 6 lakh has been

released to the NICED, which is expected to complete the project in

a year.

" They will try and identify the symptoms and treatment pattern of

the patient and whether he or she exibited full-blown AIDS. This

will enable them to identify the number of deaths in the past years.

The team will also ascertain what percentage of victims belong to

rural and urban areas and the age-wise percentage, " said Aransu

Talukdar, project in-charge.

The story so far

HIV positive cases recorded since December 2005: 9,852

Full blown AIDS cases: 4,559

Death count in medical colleges in Kolkata in past three years: 152

HIV prevalance in state: 0.9%

In Purulia: 1.27 %

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=188720

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Digging the records for the retrospective study for the last five

years may not be an easy task at distt level. Even if one gets

records the desired information may be missing. It may be more

fruitfull if done prospectively for the next one year after

sesitising the distt as well as the regional medical officers etc.

That may reflect the correct scientific information of AIDS death

in WB.

Regards

Dr A S Rathore

Joint Director

Centre for AIDS & Related Dis

NICD,Delhi

e-mail: <asr_naco@...>