Illinois will
likely switch to names-based HIV reporting

Because the federal government rejects HIV case reports recorded by codes instead of by names, Illinois officials are expected to switch the state from codes-based to names-based HIV reporting, the Chicago Free Press reports. If the state maintained code-based reporting, it could lose out on federal Ryan White AIDS funds, which will be tied to the number of HIV cases in each region of the country, say state health officials. Illinois is one of only 14 U.S. jurisdictions that still report HIV cases to federal officials by codes instead of names. California also is expected to soon switch to names-based HIV case reporting, as is the city of Philadelphia. Opponents of names-based reporting say it deters people from seeking HIV antibody tests because they are afraid their results may be made public. But advocates say names-based reporting is much more accurate than codes-based systems. (Advocate.com)