Port Blair, Mar 30: The National HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) in India is one of the largest HSS systems which helps to understand the dynamics of the HIV epidemic and monitor the trends among different population groups and geographical areas and, thus, provides inputs to programme for strengthening prevention and control activities. HIV sentinel surveillance is carried out once in two years in designated sentinel sites over a period of three months.
This year Andaman & Nicobar AIDS Control Society is conducting 17th Round of HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) 2020-21 from 1st February, 2021 – 30th April, 2021 for which Regional Institute (RI) team of NI-AIIMS, New Delhi Dr. Sanjay K. Rai, Professor and Nodal person for HIV Sentinel Surveillance and Dr. Puneet Misra, Professor and Member has visited the Islands for Monitoring and Supervisory visit at ANC sites from 22nd to 26th March 2021.
State & National HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) members meeting was conducted at Megapode Resort on 25th March 2021 at 07:00 PM with RI team in which Dr. Omkar Singh, DHS/Vice-Chairman, ANACS; Dr. M. Joy, CMO, NFSG (Surveillance Coordinator) & Project Director, ANACS; Dr. Avijit Roy, Deputy Director (Health), DHS/State Surveillance Team (SST) member, ANACS; Dr. Jahanara Yasmeen, DD (IEC)/Focal Person (HSS), ANACS and Shri K. Sankar Rao, AD (Monitoring & Evaluation), ANACS have attended the meeting . In the meeting issues & challenges faced by the RI team during the Supervisory and Monitoring visit at ANC sites were discussed.
Another meeting was conducted for officials of ANACS on 26th March 2021 at ANACS Conference Hall at 10:00 AM. Regional Institute (RI) team member Dr. Sanjay K. Rai has explained all the issues and challenges faced by facilities for collecting the HSS samples at remote areas of A&N Islands. He also widely explained the rules and procedures of HIV Sentinel Surveillance to the officials of ANACS.
In this pandemic scenario of COVID-19, ANACS has collected more than 1240 samples as on 30th March 2021 out of 1600 targeted samples.
Under the leadership of Dr. M. Joy, CMO, NFSG (Surveillance Coordinator) & Project Director, ANACS and regular supervision of Focal Person (HSS) and AD (M&E), the facility staffs of various ICTCs are collecting the blood samples for achieving the target of 17th Round of HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) 2020-21. The campaign for HSS is ending on 30th April, 2021.