August 25, 2008

Puerto Rico and 8 States Lose HIV Surveillance Funding

Puerto Rico and eight states in the continental United States will no longer receive federal funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new HIV monitoring system, which found that that annual U.S. infection rate was 40 percent higher than previously estimated, The New York Times reports. The CDC is shifting the number of participating states from 34 to 25 based on a competitive application process.

According to the article, the states that lost funding were Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Terry Butler, a spokeswoman for the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention at the CDC, told the Times that the total funding for HIV surveillance would remain the same nationwide, but the remaining 25 states and cities would receive more of it because they had the most reliable systems in place that would produce the best possible infection rate estimates.

According to Julie Scofield, executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the nine jurisdictions cut from the program lost roughly $3 million in funding combined. Scofield added that overall money available for tracking HIV infections and trends is decreasing, making it difficult for many states to keep up.

“Surveillance funding is starving at the CDC,” Scofield said. “Their ability to say that they’re going to have ongoing reliable reports of incidence is somewhat questionable unless [they] have funding.”

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Previous Comments:

Paolo Presta, Tucson, AZ, 2008-08-28 12:29:48
It is telling of our governments commitment to addressing AIDS by making something something like surveillance funding a competitive bid. I often question the wisdom of the CDC, the logic here escapes me.

Kizzy Graham, New York, 2008-08-26 12:55:39
This is outrageous. Uniform measures should be adopted in ALL states that use best practices from other states that are succeeding in their bid to raise HIV awareness and treat people living with AIDS. There is a complete lack of common sense in making this choice.

Elaine Farrell, Monticello, 2008-08-26 11:13:08
I live in PA and the reason I still work in NY is because there is little or no funding for prevention efforts (and services)in PA as it is. It is sad that the CDC has to be so cutthroat with funding. Northeast PA is experiencing population growth, and it is mainly Latino. It is known that HIV is higher in communities of color. SO I guess the CDC will wake up and do something about it after more people die. Or will they? Not everyone lives in Philly or Pittsburgh. Sad and stupid.

Gina White, Cambridge, 2008-08-26 09:18:34
I feel as dough the cities are getting punished, and I really don't see how is it that makes any cense to, how is that going to make any defernces or help the issue.