HIV/AIDS surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Reporting of AIDS cases began right from the inception of national AIDS programmes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. HIV surveillance was initiated with ad hoc serological surveys of selected groups of population. However, these surveys suffered from statistical bias. To minimize this bias, sentinel surveillance was introduced in two groups:patients with sexually transmitted diseases and antenatal clinic attendants. Apart from surveillance, many other population groups are being tested for HIV, mainly for case-finding. As HIV surveillance has an important role in AIDS prevention and control, adequate attention should be paid to its improvement, including the use of unlinked anonymous testing and the participation of the private sector