What does this mean? For years San Francisco has been receiving far more than its share of federal and state funds. Many so-called non-profit AIDS groups there have also been receiving more funding than they deserve, based on this sloppy surveillance method, and people in other parts of the country have suffered from underfunding as a result.
Dear Colleague,
We want to call your attention to a recent change in how we present the San Francisco AIDS surveillance data. Beginning in 2005, publications of our data were changed to include only persons who were residents of San Francisco at the time they were diagnosed with AIDS. Prior to this change, our reports also included persons who were diagnosed with AIDS at a San Francisco medical facility, but who were residents elsewhere at the time of their diagnosis.
We have decided to exclude non-San Francisco residents from the data presentations because AIDS case reporting practices result in our having a complete count of San Francisco residents with AIDS, but an incomplete record of non-San Francisco residents with AIDS. In order to provide consistent AIDS surveillance data, our surveillance quarterly and annual reports will include only reports of persons diagnosed with HIV or AIDS who were residents of San Francisco at the time of their diagnosis. Consequently, the numbers in reports from 2005 and on will differ from reports published prior to 2005.
You may contact the HIV/AIDS Statistics, Epidemiology, and Intervention Research Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health at (415) 554-9050 if you have questions concerning our reports.
Thank you for your interest,
The HIV/AIDS Statistics, Epidemiology
and Intervention Research Section Staff