title: Profile of Clients Tested HIV Positive in a Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center of a District Hospital, Udupi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The growing menace created by the HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) has alarmed not only the public health officials but also the general community. The Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre (VCTC) services have begun as a cost-effective intervention in reversing this epidemic.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  1) To study the sociodemographic characteristics of HIV-positive clients and their risk behaviors. 2) To elucidate the reasons for their visit to the VCTC and know the problems anticipated by the clients after revealing their HIV-positive status.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional record-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in August 2007 among clients who tested positive for HIV in the VCTC of a district hospital in Karnataka from January to July 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study included 249 individuals of whom 161 were males and rest 88 females. A high percentage of nonresponse regarding the pattern of risk behavior was noted among the subjects (males: 42.8% and females: 90.9%). Of the individuals who responded, 91 males (98.9%) and 6 females (75.0%) had multiple heterosexual sex partners, while 1 male had homosexual partner. The figures in females show that two (25%) of them had a history of blood transfusion. The reason for visiting the VCTC were cited as some form of illness (33.3%), confirmation of test results (32.9%), family members diagnosed as HIV positive (12.9%) and 11.6% were referred from Directly Observed Treatment Scheme (DOTS) center. More than one-thirds of the sample population anticipated discrimination at the time of medical treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People have begun using VCTC services, which reflects a change in their attitude toward HIV. The study provides us a clue to formulate an effective approach to educate people as well as the health personnel who are thought of as one of the important sources of discrimination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal - 576 104, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Megha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta