A Guide to HIV/AIDS Epidemiological and Surveillance Terms

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Preface

HIV/AIDS epidemiology and surveillance is an important part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, providing information to design prevention and policy initiatives as well as to allocate resources for care and treatment. Currently CIDPC compiles such information into reports that are then distributed to the community and other interested parties.

While this work can be of great use to AIDS service organizations to direct their support and prevention efforts, those without a background in epidemiology or research may have difficulty fully comprehending the contents of these documents. Community members developing programs and policies for work with diverse populations affected by HIV/AIDS need a solid understanding of the different research designs and data reported in HIV/AIDS epidemiology and surveillance documentation. For this reason, CAS and CIDPC have worked collaboratively to produce A Guide to HIV/AIDS Epidemiological and Surveillance Terms.

Previous work completed by the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) in collaboration with CIDPC produced a resource titled Understanding HIV/AIDS Epidemiology: HIV/AIDS Surveillance Among Canada's Aboriginal Peoples. The purpose of this manual was to make important information such as the HIV/AIDS surveillance reports published by Health Canada more accessible to those working at the community level with Aboriginal populations.

A Guide to HIV/AIDS Epidemiological and Surveillance Terms builds on the excellent work completed by CAAN and CIDPC by providing additional relevant information for community members. The guide contains a detailed catalogue of epidemiological and surveillance terminology, and responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about epidemiology and HIV/AIDS surveillance reporting. Entries include plain language definitions, followed by examples to illustrate how each concept is applied within the context of HIV/AIDS community work. The guide also contains a list of bibliographic and website resources geared to assist the user in attaining additional information on HIV/AIDS, epidemiology, research and statistics.

We at CAS and CIDPC hope you find this document to be a valuable resource. Our organizations will continue to collaborate to enhance the relationship between the work of community groups and government. We welcome and appreciate your feedback and suggestions for future initiatives.

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