Publications by authors named "Chinmoyee Das"

One of the five high-level goals under Phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP) of the Government of India is the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV. In this paper, we estimate the potential impact of maintaining and enhancing the anti-retroviral treatment under the NACP in terms of averting new infections and vertical transmission rates vis-à-vis no intervention scenario. We used India's HIV Estimates 2022 models to create treatment coverage scenarios of no interventions, status quo, business as usual, on-track and fast-track scenarios from 2023 to 2030.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the acceptability and usability of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits in India, finding that 97% of eligible participants accepted the kits and 95% found them easy to use and interpret.
  • Participants largely preferred HIVST for future testing, with 88% indicating interest, and a significant portion (69%) willing to pay for the kits, although most preferred to pay less than $1.20.
  • Out of those who tested positive using HIVST, 89% were linked to confirmatory testing, resulting in a high rate of HIV positive confirmations and successful initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
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Background: Progress on HIV treatment outcomes for people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men in India has been slow compared with that in other populations. We assessed whether HIV treatment incentives would improve outcomes among these groups.

Methods: We did a matched-pair, cluster randomised trial in 16 sites (eight for people who inject drugs and eight for men who have sex with men) across 15 cities in India.

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Background: India has rolled out Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) program for HIV infection in all states. EID program consists of testing of Infants exposed to HIV periodically over 18 months of age which is a multi-step complex testing cascade. Caregivers represent the primary beneficiary of EID program i.

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Introduction: The hijra and transgender (H/TG) population in India is vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. India had instituted a targeted intervention (TI) program to reduce this vulnerability. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of the TI program for H/TG.

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Background: In India, HIV prevalence varies by region and high-risk groups. General population rates have decreased in high prevalence states through HIV Sentinel Surveillance among pregnant women, while low-moderate prevalence states show variable trends. Gujarat, in western India, has mixed HIV prevalence according to 2017 Sentinel Surveillance data.

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The government of India has adopted the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV as one of the five high-level goals under phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP). In this paper, we present the data from HIV estimations 2021 for India and select States detailing the progress as well as the attributable causes for vertical transmissions. The NACP spearheads work on mathematical modelling to estimate HIV burden based on the periodically conducted sentinel surveillance for guiding program implementation and policymaking.

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Background: HIV-1 Viral load (VL) measures efficiency of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) after treatment initiation and helps to diagnose virological failures at an early stage. Current VL assays require sophisticated laboratory facilities. As well as there are other challenges pertaining to insufficient laboratory access, cold-chain management and sample transportation.

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Background: Despite the Link Worker Scheme to address the HIV risk and vulnerabilities in rural areas, reaching out to unreached men having sex with men (MSM) remains a challenge in rural India. This study explored issues around health care access and programmatic gaps among MSM in rural settings of India.

Methods: We conducted eight Focused Group Discussions (FGDs), 20 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and 20 In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) in four rural sites in Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh between November 2018 and September 2019.

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Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV infection services are crucial for managing the perinatally acquired HIV infection. Assessing the performance of the EID services and its underlying determinants is important for the National AIDS Control Program, India. The objectives of this study were to find out access to HIV testing, the timeliness of the testing cascade, and the proportion of HIV exposed infants who are followed up to 18 months for a definitive diagnosis of HIV.

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India has been implementing one of the biggest Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) of HIV intervention globally. The turn-around-time (TAT) for EID test is one of the major factors for success of the program. This study was to assess the turnaround time and its determinants.

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The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to HIV services globally. We evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the uptake of HIV testing in the Targeted Intervention (TI) program in Maharashtra-a high HIV burden state in India. Annual HIV testing was sustained during the pandemic year (2020-2021), at levels similar to the pre-pandemic year (2019-2020), among Female Sex Workers (FSW), Men having Sex with Men (MSM), Transgender (TG), and Truckers; but not among Migrants and Intravenous Drug Users (IDU).

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Background: Co-management of HIV-TB coinfection remains a challenge globally. Addressing TB among people living with HIV (PLHIV) is a key priority for the Government of India (GoI). In 2016, GoI implemented single-window services to prevent and manage TB in PLHIV.

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Background: Early Infant Diagnosis was launched in India in 2010 and its effect on the diagnosis of HIV-exposed infants needs to be assessed. The present study was done to find out the median age at DBS sample collection for early infant diagnosis and its trend over years, the median age at diagnosis of HIV among the HIV-exposed infants with DNA PCR tests, and the proportion of infants who completed testing cascades after detection of HIV-1 in a sample.

Methods: DNA PCR data (from 2013 to 2017) maintained at all regional reference laboratories in India was collated with each infant identified by a unique code.

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Background: The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) has emphasized on the incidence-prevalence ratio (IPR) and incidence-mortality ratio (IMR) to measure the progress in HIV epidemic control. In this paper, we describe the status of epidemic control in India and in various states in terms of UNAIDS's recommended metrices.

Method: The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) of India spearheads work on mathematical modelling to estimate HIV burden based on periodically conducted sentinel surveillance for providing guidance to program implementation and policymaking.

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The strive for utilization of green fillers in polymer composite has increased focus on application of natural biomass-based fillers. Biochar has garnered a lot of attention as a filler material and has the potential to replace conventionally used inorganic mineral fillers. Biochar is a carbon rich product obtained from thermochemical conversion of biomass in nitrogen environment.

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Decentralized response has been the hallmark of the National AIDS Control Programme in India. District-level HIV burden estimates quantifying the distribution of the epidemics are needed to enhance this decentralized response further to monitor the progress on prevention, testing, and treatment interventions. In this paper, we describe the methodology and results of district-level estimates using the Spectrum model piloted in 5 states of India under National AIDS Control Programme.

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Article Synopsis
  • The India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) is a collaborative program aimed at controlling hypertension in India, involving 21,895 adult patients from four different states.
  • A significant follow-up assessment revealed that blood pressure (BP) control improved from 26.3% to 59.8% among returning patients, indicating effective management, especially in primary care settings.
  • Despite promising results, the initiative faced challenges with patient retention, highlighting the need for strategies to ensure more patients return for ongoing hypertension care.
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This paper provides HIV estimation methodology used in India and key HIV estimates for 2010-2011. We used a modified version of the Spectrum tool that included an Estimation and Projection Package as part of its AIDS Impact Module. Inputs related to population size, age-specific pattern of fertility, gender-ratio at birth, age and gender-specific pattern of mortality, and volume and age-gender distribution of net migration were derived from census records, the Sample Registration System and large-scale demographic health surveys.

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Introduction: The beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR or ADRbeta(2)) is the target for beta(2)-agonist drugs used for bronchodilation in asthma and other respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to identify common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in asthmatics and healthy individuals from an Indian population, and determine the influence of beta(2)AR SNPs in responsiveness to beta(2)-agonist therapy in asthma patients.

Methods: Ten variable SNP sites within a span of 2.

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Tracheobronchial involvement is an uncommon form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and is found mainly in immunocompromised individuals such as patients with leukemia and prolonged granulocytopenia due to cytotoxic therapy, organ transplant recipients receiving high-dose corticosteroids, or patients with chronic granulomatous diseases. Rarely, such a pattern can also be seen in immunocompetent persons or can involve atypical sites such as the paranasal sinuses, skin, and the tracheobronchial tree. Occasionally, these patients require a prolonged course of antifungal agents.

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