Publications by authors named "Nishakar Thakur"
Introduction: The population of men who have sex with men (MSM) in India is vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. India instituted a targeted intervention (TI) programme to reduce this vulnerability. We aimed to measure the assessment of the TI programme for MSM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the lives of vulnerable population, including the injecting drug users (IDUs). The objective of the study was to document the coping mechanism adopted by IDUs and suggest measures to mitigate the adverse effects, if similar situation were to arise in future.
Materials And Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at the Targeted Intervention Non-Government Organizations catering to IDUs in Delhi and Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
Introduction: Adolescent female sex workers are at high risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) infection. There was paucity of information regarding their sexual practices. The main objective of this study was to study the sexual behavior, condom use practices, and physical and sexual violence experienced by adolescent female sex workers (FSWs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife in contemporary cities is often dangerous for stray cats, with strikingly low survival rates. In several countries, trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs have been employed to control urban stray cat populations. Management of stray cats in urban environments is not just about applying scientific solutions, but also identifying approaches that align with local cultural and ethical values.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aims to assess the prevalence of HIV and related risk behaviors among inmates in Central Prisons across four North Indian states, given their higher risk compared to the general population.
- Conducted from February to April 2019, the HIV surveillance involved 2,721 inmates, revealing a 0.96% HIV infection rate and highlighting significant risk factors such as marital status, incarceration history, and drug use.
- This research is the first of its kind in North Indian prisons and offers critical insights that could influence future health policies and interventions for inmates.
Background: High HIV prevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs) remains a cause of concern and are considered key drivers of concentrated epidemic in India. The present paper aims to assess the effectiveness of the targeted intervention (TI) program on the risk behaviors among IDUs across regions of India.
Materials And Methods: This paper used the data from the integrated biological and behavioral surveillance 2014-2015 among the IDUs in India.
The WHO recommends HIV self-testing (HIVST) as an innovative strategy and an additional testing approach to attain UNAIDS targets to end HIV by 2030. HIVST is a process whereby a person collects his or her own specimen (either oral fluid or blood), performs an HIV test, and interprets the result. It has been described as a discreet and convenient way to reach the hidden, unreached key populations (KPs) who do not know their HIV status or do not get tested.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: In view of the rising burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) cases in India, there is an urgent need for an effective, low-cost, sustainable intervention controlling diabetes thus preventing complications.
Aims: This study aimed to assess the effect of structured yoga programs on diabetes.
Subjects And Methods: This was a community-based interventional study that was conducted in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi, India.
Background: The primary objective of this study was to intervene with vitamin D supplementation in rural-based women with pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance) to prevent development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
Methods: This was an open-label randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted in rural women with pre-diabetes and vitamin D deficiency (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02513888).
Background: During round 2017 of HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) for men who have sex with men (MSM) in India, sampling strategy was changed from consecutive sampling to random sampling, and recruitment was conditioned on informed written consent.
Objective: The study aimed to explore whether inclusion of informed consent is associated with HIV seropositivity rates among MSM population in select four states of Central India.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in four states of Delhi, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand that were supervised by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Background: Quality of HIV sentinel surveillance (HSS) depends on preparedness of the site and adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for HSS. A designated sentinel site is considered prepared for the round of sentinel surveillance based on the availability of infrastructure, human resource, and consumables.
Objectives: The study objectives were to describe the site level preparedness and adherence to SOP of antenatal care clinic (ANC) sites during the 16 round of HSS in India.