In order to prioritize research, addressing specific health needs of the tribal population in the country, so as to result in a positive difference in their overall health situation, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will soon begin research on communicable diseases among tribal population in the broad priority areas like childhood infectious diseases; tuberculosis; STDs, HIV and co-infections with HIV; and genetic aspects.

Senior officials said that the ICMR advocates a holistic approach to understand the health situation among the tribal population of the country, and to address the health-related disparities. This research initiative is being taken by the ICMR under the Tribal Sub-Plan of the Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases.

Officials said that commemorating the “International Day of the World's Indigenous People”, the ICMR had initiated the “Tribal Health Research Forum” on August 9, 2010, with the mandate to address and discuss all health-related issues pertaining to indigenous people. The Tribal Health Research Forum, under chairmanship of DG, ICMR is committed to prioritize research addressing specific health needs of the tribal population, so as to result in a positive difference in their overall health situation.

Priority areas for research in tribal health include childhood infectious diseases such as vaccine-preventable diseases, immunization coverage, diarrhoeal diseases and lower respiratory tract infections. In the area of tuberculosis, studies will be conducted to address awareness, health-care seeking behaviour, response to treatment and applicability of DOTS in inaccessible tribal areas; to study whether different strategies are needed to institute diagnostic measures and deliver the treatment regimens in the tribal areas; operational research to improve treatment reach; MDR and XDR TB – prevalence and determinants; and scientific research to study pathogen and host pathogen interaction, nature of the disease, and the clinical course.

With a view to conduct situational analysis to assess the burden of Tuberculosis and its co-infection with HIV and malaria in tribal population, the ICMR has identified the areas such as disease burden estimation of tuberculosis and its co-infection with HIV and malaria; health care seeking behaviour of the affected tribal population in light of the ongoing RNTCP in those areas; and identifying deficiencies in the ongoing RNTCP and developing interventions to improve access to and acceptability of the health care services.

To study the process evaluation of National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme for malaria in tribal areas, the study will focus on identification of the gaps in the ongoing malaria control programme in the tribal areas, with proposed plan to implement effective interventions to address those gaps.

Other priority areas of the study include STDs, HIV and co-infections with HIV – prevalence, health promotional interventions to develop risk-free approaches, awareness, health-care seeking behavior; and Genetic Aspects – genetic association in tribals in context of susceptibility to communicable diseases, HLA typing, polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as on prevalence of haemoglobinopathies in tribal population.