SUMMARY: Psychological depression has been identified as a condition that may influence HIV risk behavior among injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM). In two Seattle studies, 1,228 IDUs and 429 young MSM completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); the relationship between depression and injection and sexual risk behavior was assessed using logistic regression analysis. Forty-seven percent of IDUs had CES-D scores > or = 23; a high score was significantly related to injection with a syringe used by another IDU (adjusted odds ratio 1.4) but not other injection risk behavior. Among MSM, CES-D scores > or = 16 were related to reporting 3 or more sex partners in the last 6 months but not to other sexual risk behavior. This analysis suggests that psychological depression may influence certain HIV risk behavior in young MSM and IDUs, and that interventions addressing depression may be indicated.

SUMMARY: Public health partner notification (PN) services are provided inconsistently to persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and some community groups representing persons with HIV/AIDS have opposed widespread application of PN. We surveyed persons with HIV recently reported to our health department and a random sample of HIV-infected persons attending an HIV/AIDS clinic. A total of 95 persons, of whom 76 (80%) were men who have sex with men, completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Eighty-four percent of participants believed the health department should routinely offer everyone diagnosed with HIV help in notifying their partners; 79% indicated they would be somewhat or very likely to provide information to a doctor, case worker, or health department employee for purposes of PN; and 20% indicated they wanted help in notifying a recent sex partner. Seventy-eight percent of participants believed the health department should contact all HIVinfected persons after diagnosis to help them access medical care and social services, and 68% wanted the health department to contact them about the availability of medical or social services. In contrast to common public perceptions, these results suggest that most persons with HIV support health departments routinely contacting people after HIV diagnosis and that many want assistance with PN.

ABSTRACT: The advent of highly active anti-retroviral treatment for HIV infection in the mid-1990's , along with other new developments in HIV understanding, epidemiology, and care, led local and state public health officials to recommend to the Washington State Board of Health in 1996 that asymptomatic HIV infection be added to the list of conditions reportable to public health by name. AIDS became one such condition in 1984, and symptomatic HIV was added in 1987. AIDS activists and organizations countered that only unique non-name identifiers be used for surveillance of asymptomatic HIV. A controversy followed that lasted over two years. Although a "name-to-code" compromise had been suggested by Public Health early on, it gained acceptance only after key stakeholders faced substantial public health, medical, and general community opposition to unique identifier reporting. In mid-1999 the Board decided to require name reporting to local jurisdictions, with public health staff replacing the name with a coded identifier within 90 days of completion of required data, before case reports were relayed to state officials. This article describes the processes of adopting HIV reporting in Washington State, the nature of the reporting system, and how the issues were ultimately resolved.