Lin YG, Hou SI, Stone T, Twu SJ, Chuang CY; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 150 (abstract no. Mo.C.1554).

National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Dept. of Internal Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Fax: 02-3212519. E-mail: yglin@ntumcl.mc.ntu.edu.tw.

Objective: This report examines changes in the source of HIV reporting in Taiwan. Methods: Annual HIV seroprevalence data from 1991 to 1995 were obtained from the Taiwan Department of Health. Information on related risk factors and demographics were gathered from all patients testing positive for HIV. In addition, the facility at which HIV infection was reported was also recorded. The types of sites from which new HIV cases were reported were analyzed to determine whether or not a change in the use of testing facilities has changed over time. Results: Accounting for 58% of all 1995 HIV infection reports, hospital-based HIV surveillance programs remained the primary source of reporting. In 1991 and 1992, blood donor centers had the second highest number of incident HIV reports, accounting for 13% and 11% of case reports, respectively. However, beginning in 1993 and continuing to the present, sites other than the traditional hospitals, blood donor centers, prisons and the military became the second most common source for HIV reporting. Among the predesignated testing facility types, only the sites designated as "other" revealed an annual increase in HIV case detection significantly greater than the average annual increase from all sites combined (p is less than 0.01). Analyses also revealed changes in the distribution of risk behaviors over time. Notably from 1992 through 1995 heterosexuals reported the largest increase in HIV infections (average yearly increase: 52 plus or minus 2%) compared to the average reports from all risk groups (p is less than 0.05). Discussion: The increase in the use of non-traditional HIV testing services may be attributable to various possibilities: 1) an increase in the availability of non-traditional testing sites, 2) a decentralization of HIV testing from pre-designated sites to local medical clinics and provincial/county hospitals, and/or 3) an increase in particular groups seeking HIV tests from non-traditional testing sites. Tracking of HIV cases and behavioral characteristics can provide valuable information for not only evaluating current HIV surveillance programs, but also adjusting medical education towards detecting HIV signs and symptoms in non-traditional settings.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• HIV Seroprevalence
• Humans
• Mass Screening
• Risk Factors
• Risk Management
• Taiwan
• economics
• methods
• organization & administration

Other ID:

• 96921605

UI: 102217504

From Meeting Abstracts