Approaches to HIV Prevention Among Heroin Users in India and South East Asia is the topic of December's Hartford HIV Forum. Eldred Tellis, Director of the Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in Mumbai, India, will discuss prevention approaches such as needle exchange, outreach work and opiate replacement therapy. He will also address the factors that help people transition from drug use. Tellis will be speaking on Tuesday, December 9 at noon at the Living Center, 1841 Broad Street. The event is free; lunch will be provided and advance registration is required.

Tellis co-founded the Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in 1995 to address the rising prevalence of HIV infections in Mumbai. The center, which reached 800 drug users in its first year, offers a needle exchange program, counseling services, drug substitution program and health care. Tellis has also initiated HIV prevention programs in northeast India and New Delhi as well as Myanmar in South East Asia.

By attending the Hartford event, interested members of the public and health care providers will learn about the challenges of running needle exchange programs; current outreach approaches including peer educator training and intervention in jails; advantages and disadvantages of Buprenorphine substitution versus Methadone; and the differences between Asian and North American treatment programs.

According to Tellis, South East Asia has become the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. "Developing countries are susceptible to HIV due to many factors--an overwhelmingly large population, lack of contraception, rapid urbanization, unemployment, migration, and the low status of women," he said.

This is the final lecture in the Fall 2003 series of forums organized by The Institute for Community Research and the Connecticut AIDS Education and Training Center. The Hartford HIV Forum meets from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m., on the second Tuesday of each month. The goal of the forums is to give the local community the most up-to-date information on current topics in AIDS prevention, treatment, research and care. To register for the forum, call The Institute for Community Research at 860-278-2044. Signing for the hearing impaired and Spanish interpretation are available with a minimum of ten days advance notice. For more information about the series, contact Peg Weeks at The Institute for Community Research at 860-278-2044 x229.

The Institute for Community Research is an independent, nonprofit organization which conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources. The Connecticut AIDS Education and Training Center trains providers with the goal of improving HIV clinical care. The Hartford HIV Forum is co-sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.
                                                

                                                                        ###