ASCERTAINING EXPOSURE CATEGORIES OF HIV-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS WITH PREVIOUSLY UNRECORDED RISK DATA

Objectives: To improve the quality of surveillance data for HIV in Vic toria by following up all cases with an unknown exposure category; and to determine whether those with no exposure category included cases o f transmission other than cia the conventionally recognised routes. Me thods: The Victorian HIV database records data on all people diagnosed with HIV in Victoria, including information on route of exposure to t he virus. We identified all HIV diagnoses to which no exposure categor y had been attributed and, with the permission of the State Minister f or Health obtained access to namecoded testing records. Exposure categ ories, where possible, were obtained directly from these records. Othe rwise, cases were checked against the namecoded AIDS database and, if necessary an intensive process of call-back to laboratories, diagnosin g doctors and HIV treatment centres was undertaken. Results: The datab ase initially contained records for 289 people with unknown exposure c ategories (9.1% of Victorian people with HIV infection). We identified exposure categories for 155 of these people. Conclusions: Exposure ca tegories for those cases previously without data were similar to those for cases where exposure category was unknown. No instances of HIV tr ansmission by previously unrecognised means were detected.