Publication:

HIV reactivity trends in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Himachal Pradesh: a ten-year ICTC based retrospective analysis

Background Despite being a low HIV prevalence nation, India has the third largest number of PLHAs in the world. The study aimed to explore the prevalence, pattern of socio-demographic and epidemiological distribution among HIV sero-positive patients in this part of Himachal Pradesh. Objective was to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection among the clients who had attended the ICTC for a period of ten years, i.e. from 2008 to 2017.

Methods A retrospective descriptive analysis of secondary data from the National AIDS control program from the year 2008 through 2017 was done.

Results Overall prevalence of HIV positivity amongst the clients attending the centre was observed to be 2.1%. Out of the total 55610 clients tested for HIV infection, 40.4% were male, 25.4% were female (excluding ANCs) and 34.2% were Ante-natal cases. Overall, seropositivity was higher among males (58%) than females (40%). However, amongst the groups, higher prevalence has been observed to be present in the females (3.3%) over males (3%) and Ante-natal cases (0.12%). Belonging to the female sex [OR 1.99 (95% CI: 1.77-2.24)] and male sex [OR 2.07 (95% CI: 1.84- 2.33)] had higher odds of having HIV sero-positivity than Ante-natal cases [OR 0.04 (95% CI: 0.02-0.05)]. Heterosexual route of transmission was the major route seen in 70.1%. Maximum HIV seropositivity was in the age group of 25 - 34 years (35.4%).

Conclusions The trends over the last 10 years show no steady pattern. Hence, there is a need for scaled up and sustained efforts focused on the males of reproductive age group for the prevention and control of HIV infection.