Oregon will
change to names-based HIV reporting

Oregon plans to begin tracking HIV cases in the state by patient names instead of through its current codes-based system to avoid losing as much as $4 million in federal AIDS funding each year, health officials told The Oregonian. The state's current HIV reporting system records the names of newly diagnosed Oregon residents in a database for 90 days, after which time their cases are given codes. The new system, which will be implemented in late March or early April, will keep the cases recorded by name.

Mel Kohn, a state epidemiologist, says that in the future the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will base all state AIDS funding on data gathered from names-based HIV reporting systems. If Oregon maintained its current codes-based system, it could lose 30% to 40% of the $10 million in CDC funds it receives each year, according to Kohn.

AIDS activists worry the change to names-based HIV reporting will discourage people from seeking HIV antibody tests, but health officials say the same worries were voiced when the state began tracking names for 90 days and there was no impact on testing rates.

Public hearings on the switch to names-based reporting will be held in Deschutes, Lane, and Multnomah counties in March. (Advocate.com)