BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus infection/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a major health problem in India. The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) of India reports a seropositivity of 25.03 per thousand for the whole country, as of October 1999. In spite of this high prevalence there are very few reports of oral lesions and conditions in Indian HIV/AIDS patients, which are important in early diagnosis and management of these patients. OBJECTIVE AND SETTING: The present report describes the oral lesions in 300 HIV positive symptomatic patients presenting to us at RAGAS‐YRG CARE, a non‐governmental organisation in Chennai, South India, over a period of 9 months in 1998. METHOD: Lesions were diagnosed on clinical appearance using international criteria. RESULTS: Of the 300 patients 89% had acquired the infection through heterosexual contact. There were 205 males and 95 females, aged from 7 months to 72 years. Forty‐seven percent of the patients were in the age group 21–30 years. CD4 counts were ascertained for 105 patients, 64 (62%) had CD4 counts ≤200. A total of 217 (72%) of the 300 patients had some oral lesion when examined. Gingivitis (47%) and pseudomembranous candidiasis (33%) were the most common oral lesions. The other oral lesions seen were oral mucosal pigmentation (23%), erythematous candidiasis (14%), periodontitis (9%), angular cheilitis (8%), oral ulcers (3%), oral hairy leukoplakia (3%), hyperplastic candidiasis (1%), oral submucous fibrosis (2%) and one case of leukoplakia. CONCLUSIONS: Oral lesions occur commonly in HIV infection. A comprehensive oral examination may not only suggest HIV disease but may also be useful in monitoring the disease progression. This is a cost‐effective procedure, which may be useful in screening large populations in developing countries like India.

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Background: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put an enormous stress on the mental health of frontline health care workers. Objective: Psychiatry departments in medical centers need to develop support systems to help our colleagues cope with this stress. Methods: We developed recurring peer support groups via videoconferencing and telephone for physicians, resident physicians, and nursing staff, focusing on issues and emotions related to their frontline clinical work with COVID patients in our medical center which was designated as a COVID-only hospital by the state. These groups are led by attending psychiatrists and psychiatry residents. In addition, we also deployed a system of telehealth individual counseling by attending psychiatrists. Results: Anxiety was high in the beginning of our weekly groups, dealing with fear of contracting COVID or spreading COVID to family members and the stress of social distancing. Later, the focus was also on the impairment of the traditional clinician-patient relationship by the characteristics of this disease and the associated moral challenges and trauma. Clinicians were helped to cope with these issues through group processes such as ventilation of feelings, peer support, consensual validation, peer-learning, and interventions by group facilitators. People with severe anxiety or desiring confidentiality were helped through individual interventions. Conclusions: Our experience suggests that this method of offering telehealth peer support groups and individual counseling is a useful model for other centers to adapt to emotionally support frontline clinical workers in this ongoing worldwide crisis.