HIV reporting delayed in Philadelphia

Although Pennsylvania's HIV names reporting program officially began on October 18, the state's health commissioner has given the city of Philadelphia an extension until December 2 before the names of Philadelphians with HIV are collected, Philadelphia Gay News reports. Health commissioner Robert Zimmerman granted the extension, which was requested by Philadelphia health officials, in part because community-based organizations in the area weren't prepared for the October 18 start date. Jeff Moran, a spokesman for the city's health department, said Philadelphia officials plan to continue to press state authorities into abandoning the statewide names reporting plan and look into other data-collection options, including using a code-based or unique identifier system.