[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 237 (Thursday, December 10, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 68289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-32617]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Draft Guidelines for HIV Case Surveillance, Including Monitoring 
HIV Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability for public comment of a 
document entitled ``Draft Guidelines for HIV Case Surveillance, 
Including Monitoring HIV Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency 
Syndrome (AIDS)''.

DATES: Comments must be submitted in writing on or before January 11, 
1999. Comments should be submitted to the Technical Information and 
Communications Branch, Mailstop E-49, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, 
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia 30333; Fax: 404-639-
2007; E-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for copies of the Draft HIV 
Case Surveillance Guidelines should be submitted to the CDC National 
Prevention Information Network, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, Maryland 
20849-6003; telephone (800) 458-5231; or copies can be obtained from 
the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/hiv__aids/dhap.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: From 1995 to 1996, the incidence of both 
deaths and opportunistic infections (OIs) due to AIDS declined in the 
United States for the first time in the history of the epidemic (6 
percent for OIs; 23 percent for deaths) as reported in the September 
19, 1997, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) (Volume 46, pp. 
861-867). These declines reflect recent advances in treatment of HIV 
infection and the provision of care and services that have slowed the 
progression of AIDS for HIV-infected persons on therapy and the success 
of HIV prevention and education efforts that have encouraged early 
diagnosis and have helped to reduce the number of Americans becoming 
infected with HIV.
    In response to these changes in HIV treatment practices and new 
information needs of public health programs, CDC, the Council of State 
and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and most other public health 
and AIDS organizations have recommended that all States and territories 
conduct HIV case surveillance in addition to AIDS surveillance. In this 
manner, the AIDS/HIV epidemic can be tracked more accurately, and 
appropriate information about HIV/AIDS can be made available to 
policymakers. As of July 1998, a total of 32 States were conducting HIV 
case surveillance using the same methods as surveillance for AIDS. 
Because some States (many with large numbers of AIDS cases) do not 
report HIV case numbers, interpretations of available HIV data are 
difficult. To gain more reliable information about the prevalence, 
incidence, and future directions of HIV infection and the impact on 
specific populations such as racial and ethnic minorities and women, 
CDC is proposing that the current surveillance system be expanded to 
include HIV case reporting for all States and is publishing guidelines 
that States can use to implement HIV surveillance.

    Dated: December 3, 1998.
Jeffrey P. Koplan,
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-32617 Filed 12-9-98; 8:45 am]
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