Active surveillance of HIV infection in the West Midlands

We describe a new active surveillance system for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the West Midlands region, a National Health Service administrative area in central England serving a population of five million. A detailed, confidential dataset is collected on each case of HIV infection identified through laboratory reporting of positive HIV antibody tests. The consultant in communicable disease control in each district health authority responsible for the surveillance of infectious disease collects and updates the data, which are then shared with staff at the regional health authority (RHA) who maintain a regional database. Regular reports from this database allow local monitoring of the epidemic and the equitable allocation of resources.