1. Challenges in the Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection in Infants: Experience from Tamil Nadu, India
- Author
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Ramesh Karunaianantham, Soumya Swaminathan, Valan Adimai Siromany, Madheswaran Annamalai, and Luke Elizabeth Hanna
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ,Developing country ,India ,HIV Infections ,Hiv testing ,medicine.disease_cause ,Health services ,Nursing ,Pediatric surgery ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Retrospective Studies ,education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Infant ,Retrospective cohort study ,language.human_language ,Early Diagnosis ,Tamil ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,language ,Female ,business - Abstract
To analyze critical steps in the testing algorithm of the National Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) program in India.A retrospective analysis of data on cases enrolled in the EID program during 2010-2012 from Tamil Nadu was undertaken.2745 dried blood spots were tested; 9% of these tested positive. Median age of infants at the time of testing was 4 months. Second specimen for confirmation was received from 67% of cases with a turn-around time of 10-270 days.Even with high levels of uptake into the program, huge delays and loss-to-follow-up observed between the first and second sampling, suggests need for revision of the current testing algorithm.
- Published
- 2015