Illinois is among eight other states that lost federal funding for an advanced HIV monitoring system.

This advanced system provides more accurate surveillance of the HIV epidemic and tracks the disease. The federal funding would have been used for the type of surveillance that reviews previous years’ data to make sure it is accurate, said Melanie Arnold, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The lack of funding for the advanced HIV monitoring system will not affect the systems meant to monitor the current rate of HIV infection, Arnold said.

While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) receives the amount of reported HIV infections from all 50 states, “estimated data” only comes from states or areas included in this advanced surveillance program.

According to a CDC July 2008 press release, “estimated data are considered a more accurate reflection of the epidemic than reported data because they are adjusted for reporting delays.”

The number of jurisdictions using the system dropped from 34 to 25, just as the system showed the annual infection rate in the nation was 40 percent higher than previously estimated according to the new HIV report available at the CDC Web site.

While 34 jurisdictions were previously receiving funding, the data from only 22 states were used to track the spread of HIV, according to the new HIV report fact sheet.

David Munar, vice president at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, did not seem surprised about the federal cut. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago has programs and services available not only in Chicago but across Illinois, and in DeKalb.

“Federal funding has been reduced on a national level,” he said.

The fight against AIDS really requires a strong surveillance program, Munar said. More data would show where the epidemic is going and other trends that are utilized for programs, he added.

Monitoring the spread of HIV infection is a complex system, Munar said. While public health officials deploy surveillance efforts, to catch up on reporting requires active surveillance.

“Active surveillance investigates race, ethnicity and the mode of transmission [which are] risk factors that lead to infection,” he said.

Passive surveillance relies on reporting entities and active surveillance works best, Munar said. But with the smaller budget, only a select few jurisdictions will receive the funding to make that type of surveillance possible.

Competition for funding the advanced HIV monitoring system is competitive, Arnold said.

The funding cuts do not include Chicago where state services for treating AIDS are more available. But outside of Chicago, there are more difficult and significant issues, Munar said.

“We’re not going to have high-quality surveillance that we need, so that’s worrisome,” he said.