|
|
|
| 4. Improved Surveillance Systems through Reporting and Notification HIV positive people who are in care are living longer without receiving a clinical AIDS diagnosis; therefore, an epidemiological surveillance based on AIDS cases alone no longer provides an accurate reflection of the epidemic. In the amendments of the Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization of 2000, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to examine whether HIV reporting and surveillance, as opposed to AIDS diagnoses reporting alone, could be used to restructure the CARE Act’s funding formulas by 2007. In 2004, former Secretary Tommy Thompson said that variations in state HIV surveillance systems at that time prevented the utilization of state reported HIV data to determine funding allocations. The 2007 Congressional goal was however within reach, he added. As of January 2004, all states have implemented HIV surveillance systems that report HIV positive test results using names or other unique identifiers; however, HIV surveillance systems must be standardized across the nation in order for their usefulness to be fully realized. The United States will never have a true picture of the HIV epidemic without accurate and uniform HIV surveillance from every state and territory in the country. Further, reliable data on HIV infection would facilitate rapid response and long-term planning by local, state, and federal bodies to inform HIV prevention and care efforts. AIDS Action will work with its members, Congress, the administration, and coalition partners to support the development of a uniform HIV surveillance system that accurately reflects the U.S. epidemic. [back to introduction] |