Maharashtra and the HIV/AIDS epidemic
Maharashtra is one of the country’s six high prevalence states with respect to the relevance of HIV/AIDS; with 32 out of 35 districts featuring in Category A and the others in Category C. It is estimated that the state has over 4.6 lakh HIV positive persons, with the prevalence of the condition being 0.67% (HIV Sentinel Surveillance & HIV estimation in India - 2007: Technical Brief - NACO 2008).
The Government of Maharashtra was quick to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, by establishing the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), for implementing an HIV prevention and control program in the entire state, excluding Mumbai.
For Mumbai district, an autonomous society was set up known as the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), for implementing HIV prevention and control programs.
The birth of Avert Society
The Avert Society was established in November 2001 as a bilateral partnership project between the Government of India (National AIDS Control Organization) and the United States Government, to be implemented with help of the Government of Maharashtra. It came into being with a mandate to provide technical inputs in dealing with health concerns linked to HIV management. Avert Society’s mission is to mitigate the spread of the HIV epidemic by effectively putting in place relevant and sustainable interventions.
The State of Maharashtra, where Avert Society is based, is known for its financial strength, industrial growth; yet it has its share of health concerns, including the management of HIV/AIDS.
Maharashtra finds itself placed among the top six States (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland and Manipur) identified with a high prevalence of HIV (the prevalence rate among adults being around 0.67%).
The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) ranks districts across India on HIV prevalence among the general population (based on the number of women seeking ANC/PNC services) and infection among those considered high risk groups.
NACO's categorization of districts viz. 'A' through 'D', based on falling levels of prevalence, has 32 districts of Maharashtra ranked 'A' as priority districts and 3 districts falling under the 'C' category.
Grass Root Level - The Avert Society implements Targeted Interventions (core groups, bridge populations & worklace interventions) Care & Support through the PLHIV network, OVC project, and by implementing community mobilization through link workers.
State Level - The Avert Society also focuses on:
- Capacity Building of the district NGOs along with DAPCUs and acting as a State Training Resource Center (STRC) for Maharashtra, Mumbai, Goa and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, develop a cadre of Master Trainers in collaboration with RUHSA Department of CMC- Vellore, and through Consultant for Bio-statistics.
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Communication & IEC for various themes and general awareness. In collaboration with MSACS & MDACS contribute for the mid-media & Mass media campaigns and at the district level through ICE vans.
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Strategic Information, which includes various Operations Research that aids in strategy development & program analysis and developing MIS incorporating the NACO, PEPFAR/ USAID and performance indictors along with Data Quality Assessment (DQA).
Additionally, the Avert Society is responsible for:
- Communication & IEC for various themes and general awareness. In collaboration with MSACS & MDACS, contributing to mid-media & mass media campaigns at the district level, through ICE vans.
- Strategic Information, which includes Operations Research that assists in strategy development & program analysis; and developing MIS incorporating the NACO, PEPFAR/USAID and performance indicators, along with Data Quality Assessment (DQA).