HIV Testing in India

Prevalence of undiagnosed HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C among patients in an Indian emergency department

“…5,6 As a result of these efforts, HIV rates in India have been in decline over the past 2 decades from a peak of 0.38% in 2001 to 0.26% in 2015; however, infection rates remain high in at-risk populations and significant barriers to testing remain. [5][6][7][8][9] A lack of adequately trained counselors, inadequate knowledge amongst providers, testing sites that are few in number and may require patients to travel great distances, as well as shortages of testing kits remain persistent barriers to more widely available testing. 8,9 Considering these limitations, it is possible that the true prevalence of undiagnosed HIV in India may be higher than…”

Participation in the external quality assessment scheme for human immunodeficiency virus: Our experience

“…The ICTC and blood banks are monitored by the designated SRLs. [12] All ICTCs participate in an EQAS and have been assigned an SRL. Under EQAS, each ICTC receives coded samples from the reference laboratories twice a year for testing.…”