Future issues in HIV/AIDS surveillance

Public health surveillance for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seeks to define and quantity the spectrum of HIV risk, infection, and disease at the local, state, and national levels. Reporting of cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or HIV and seroepidemiologic surveys are the primary methods. In selected areas, this infrastructure supports supplemental systems that address issues of risk or infection beyond the scope of routine surveillance. Future concerns include maintaining the basic HIV/AIDS surveillance infrastructure, maintaining flexibility to meet emerging needs, improving surveillance for incident infections and risk behaviors, and enhancing the capacity of community-based groups to use surveillance data in setting priorities for prevention and care.