Abstract
Despite the magnitude of the HIV epidemic in India, few centers exist that provide anonymous HIV testing that is also accompanied by adequate counseling and referral. This study describes the trends in demographic profiles, HIV serostatus, and risk factors among 1,745 male and female clients who accessed an anonymous counseling and testing center in Chennai, India from 1994 to 1998. The prevalence of HIV in this sample was 51%, indicating that the clinic is successful in its outreach to at-risk individuals. The increasing number of clients over time suggests that this clinic has been well-received by the community. Correlates of being HIV-positive included occasional condom use, being married, being referred by an HIV-positive sex partner, working as a truck driver or migrant, or having a spouse in these professions. The success of this clinic serves as a model for similar centers in India, and points to the widespread need for anonymous testing and counseling.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Balmer, D., van Praag, E., Grinstead, O., Gregorich, S., Sangiwa, G., Furlonge, C., and the VCT Study Group. (1998). Counseling strategies: They work! Results from the Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing (VCT) Efficacy Study. Presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva, June 1998.
Barongo, L. R., Borgdorff, M. W., Mosha, F. F., Nicoll, A., Grosskurth, H., Senkoro, K. P., Newell, J. N., Changalucha, J., Klokke, A. H., and Killewo, J. Z. (1992). The epidemiology of HIV-1 infection in urban areas, roadside settlements and rural villages in Mwanza Region, Tanzania. AIDS, 6, 1521–1528.
Bhushan, N., Pulimood, B. R., Babu, P. G., and John, T. J. (1994). Rising trend in the prevalence of HIV infection among blood donors. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 99, 195–197.
Brenny, P. (1995). International efforts counter HIV infection in India. Paper presented at the Symposium on AIDS in India, New Delhi, February 1995.
Bollinger, R. C., Tripathy, S. P., and Quinn, T. C. (1995). The human immunodeficiency virus epidemic in India: Current magnitude and future projections. Medicine, 74, 97–106.
Ganesh, A. K., Solomon, S., Kumarasamy, N., Madhivanan, P., and Lambert, S. (1999). Antenatal screening in India: Economic challenges. Paper presented at the Second Conferences on Global Strategies for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants, Montreal, Canada.
Gangakhedkar, R. R., Bentley, M. E., Divekar, A. D., Gadkari, D., Mehendale, S. M., Shepherd, M. E., Bollinger, R. C., and Quinn, T. C. (1997). Spread of HIV infection in married monogamous women in India. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 2090–2092.
Gopalakrishnan, G., Kumarasamy, N., Rogers, M., McGarvey, S., Dickenson, B., Haridoss, F. T., and Solomon, S. (1998). HIV seroprevalence and associated risk factors in Tamilnadu, India. Presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America 36th Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, November 12–15, 1998 [Abstract 395].
Gregorich, S., Kemenga, C., Sangiwa, G., Furlonge, C., and Balmer, D. (1998). Impact of HIV counseling and testing on married couples in three developing countries: Results from the Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Study. Presented at the XII World AIDS Conference, Geneva, June 1998.
Grinstead, O., Balmer, D., Van Opraag, E., Gregorich, S., Sangiwa, G., and Furlonge, C. (1998). Counseling strategies: They work! Results from the Voluntary HIVCounseling and Testing (VTC) Study. Presented at the XIIWorldAIDS Conference, Geneva, June 1998.
Irwin, K. L., Valdisseri, R. O., and Holmberg, S. D. (1996). The acceptability of voluntary counseling and testing in the United States: A decade of lessons learnt. AIDS, 10, 1707–1717.
Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and World Health Organization. Report on the Globe: HIV/AIDS Epidemic June 1998. UNAIDS/98.10, WHO/EMC/VIR/98.2, WHO/ASD/98.2.
Kakeeto-Lukubo, M., Kaleeba, N., Ssebanja, P., Madraa, E., and Kaseje, M. (1996). A participatory evaluation of HIV/AIDS counseling, medical and social services (offered by TASO) 1993–4: Part of the findings on counseling. Paper presented at the International Conference on AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 1996.
Kamenga, M. C., Gregorich, S., Sangiwa, G., Furlonge, C., Balmer, D., Coates, T. J., and the VCT Study Group (1998). Impact of HIV counseling and testing on married couples in three developing countries: Results from the Voluntary HIVCounseling and Testing (VCT) Efficacy Study. Presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva, June 1998.
Killewo, J., Dahlgren, L., and Sandstrom, A. (1994). Socio-geographical patterns of HIV-1 transmission in Kagera Region, Tanzania. Social Science and Medicine, 38, 129–134.
Kumar, T., John, J., Chair, S., and Babu, P. (1993). Sexual behavior change among HIV_ men-Response to counseling. Paper presented at the International Conference on AIDS, Berlin, June 1993.
Lie, G., and Biswalo, P. (1992). Action research to improve the quality of HIV/AIDS counseling: Results from a study at the regional hospitals of Arusha and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Paper presented at the International Conference on AIDS, Amsterdam, July 1992.
Nanmozhi, V., and George, J. (1997). Self organization of PHIV/PWAs. Paper presented at the International Conference on AIDS, Berlin, Germany, June 1997.
Newmann, S., Sarin, P., and Kumarasamy, N. (In press). Marriage, monogamy and HIV: A profile of HIV infected women in South India, International Journal of STDs and AIDS.
Quinn, T. C. (1994). Population migration and the spread of types 1 and 2 human immunodeficiency viruses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 91, 2407–2414.
Rey, D., Obadia, Y., and Moatti, J. (1997). Knowledge and behavior of pregnant women towards HIV infection and its screening. Journal of Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Reproductive Biology, 26, 57–63.
Sangiwa, G., Balmer, D., Furlonge, C., Grinstead, O., Kamenga, M. C., Coates, T. J., and Gregorich, S. (1998). Voluntary HIV counseling and testing reduced risk behavior in developing countries: Results from the Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing (VCT) Efficacy Study. Presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva, June 1998.
SAS Institute, Inc. (1996). SAS Version 6.12 1989–1996. Cary, NC: Author.
Singh, Y. N., and Malaviya, A. N. (1994). Long-distance truck drivers in India: HIV infection and their possible role in disseminating HIV into rural areas. International Journal of STDs and AIDS, 5, 137–138.
Solomon, S., Anuradha, S., Ganapathy, M., and Jagadeeswari. (1994). Sentinel surveillance of HIV-1 infection in Tamilnadu, India. International Journal of STDs and AIDS, 5, 445–446.
Solomon, S., Kumarasamy, N., Ganesh, A. K., and Amalraj, R. (1998). Prevalence and risk factors of HIV 1 and HIV 2 infection in urban and rural areas in Tamilnadu, India. International Journal of STDs and AIDS, 9, 98–103.
Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society. (1998). Annual report 1997–1998, TNSCACS. Chennai, Tamilnadu, India: Government of Tamilnadu.
USAID AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC). (1997). HIV risk behavior, sentinel surveillance survey in Tamil Nadu; Report on baseline wave-1996. Chennai, India: Voluntary Health Services.
USAID AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC). (1998). HIV risk behavior, sentinel surveillance survey in Tamil Nadu;Report on second wave-1997. Chennai, India: Voluntary Health Services.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Solomon, S., Ganesh, A., Ekstrand, M. et al. High HIV Seropositivity at an Anonymous Testing Site in Chennai, India: Client Profile and Trends over Time. AIDS Behav 4, 71–81 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009540908691
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009540908691