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India’s multidimensional plurality guarantees success to only those health intervention programmes that take on a state-level approach and keep in mind the unique realities of each state. This localised approach is all the more critical when it comes to an issue as sensitive as preparing India's average citizen for AIDS vaccine trials.
Keeping this critical factor in mind IAVI has conducted a number of state-level interactive meetings in collaboration with NACO and ICMR (Working Together for an AIDS Vaccine for India: A Partnership of Science and Society) in the high-prevalence states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. Partners at the regional level included the AP State AIDS Control Society; Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and the Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society; Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai, and YRG-Care, Chennai; AIDS Prevention Society, Guwahati and the Manipur Network of Positive People, Imphal; and the Sir Dorabjee Tata Centre for Research in Tropical Diseases (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore and Freedom Foundation, Bangalore.
In a series of interactive meetings held in Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Guwahati and Bangalore, between December 2002 and August 2003, basic community-level concerns like, the need for total transparency and a mechanism to ensure the ethical and sound conduct of trials, were put on the table as were the scientific aspects of vaccine development and trials and NGO responses in the state to HIV/AIDS. The most pressing concern, voiced by over 100 participants, was the need to develop blueprints and plans of action based on the concerns and issues of the community. About 120 participants from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland debated the North-east’s serious concern of a large population of injecting young drug users.
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