In India, the nationwide lockdown was implemented from March to May 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 2020, there were 13.08 lakh PLHIV availing ART free of cost from Government run ART centres, To maintain the continuum of care, National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) of India adopted Multi Months Dispensation (MMD) through ART centres and Community Dispensation of ART through the various Targeted Interventions (TI) and Community Based Organizations (CBO). A mixed methods study was designed, with desk review of programmatic data, semi qualitative interviews of 250 PLHIV and 15 In-Depth Interviews of ART centre and TI/CBO staff to document the process, strengths and challenges of these strategies in Surat city of South Gujarat. While administrative, technical and networking strengths were documented, manpower constraints, interrupted laboratory services, migration and relatively passive role of PLHIV in availing services were major challenges described in this study among several others.

Background: In a given geographic region, risk of new cases of COVID19 are driven by internal factors such as agent, host and environment characteristics, as well as external factors, such as population mobility and cross border transmission of disease. COVID19 control measures are best implemented when local governments and health teams are well aware of these internal and external risks. These risks are dynamic in nature and hence need to be reviewed at regular intervals. Objective: To develop a composite spatiotemporal Hazard Index comprising of three factors – presence of susceptible population, population density and presence of active cases with corresponding growth rates, to rank areas within an administrative boundary by their fortnightly risk of active COVID19 cases. Methods: Using Principal Component Analysis, the weights of each of these factors were determined and applied to transformed values of factors in the districts of Gujarat state for months of January to July 2021. Hazard Index thus obtained was used to rank the districts. Results: Spearman correlation between the Hazard Index and number of active cases 15 days later was moderate and significant (p<0.01) throughout the study period. Conclusion: Hazard Index can predict Districts at highest risk of active cases in the given time period. These districts with high Hazard Index would require different control measures, depending on the factor that resulted in higher index value.

Background: Mental Health Issues are not adequately addressed when it the comes to the burden of non-communicable disorders among PLHIV on ART. PLHIV often suffer from depression and anxiety during their quest to adjust to the diagnosis and face the difficulties of living with a chronic illness, of which permanent cure is yet to be discovered. Objective: To assess depression among HIV positive beneficiaries registered with Network of Surat People Living with HIV (NSP+) in Surat. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 30 PLHIV on ART from Network of Surat People Living with HIV (NSP+). Becks Depression Inventory was applied to assess depression. Results: The mean BDI score among male participants was 25.6 (± 11.39) and that of female participants was 23 (± 12), nine male participants were classified as having moderate depression, three as severe, and 2 as extreme depression. Among females four participants were found to having mild mood disturbance while four were classified as having moderate depression, whereas only one participant was classified as having extreme depression (score of 53). Pearson’s correlation between CD4 count and BDI score was found to be -0.35. Conclusion: Though majority of the participants are in WHO clinical stage 1, yet all the participants had borderline or extreme depression. Males had lower CD4 count, higher proportion of OI and higher mean score of BDI. Lower the CD4 count higher the severity of depression.