Second Generation HIV/AIDS Surveillance
  • WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building in HIV/AIDS Surveillance

Biological/Serosurveillance

Background

Description

Biological surveillance of HIV infection is used to assess the prevalence and incidence of HIV in different populations at higher risk of infection, or in the general population, and monitor trends in HIV prevalence and incidence over time. Biological surveillance enables to identify groups with the highest needs for public health and clinical interventions, and evaluate public health measures aimed at prevention and control of HIV infection.

Learning objectives

The aim of this course is to introduce the principles and concepts of HIV/AIDS surveillance and components of HIV biological surveillance systems, demonstrating the necessary steps in setting up biological surveillance systems and defining strategies best adapted to country specific situations. The course will address different tests used in surveillance (ELISA, Western Blot, rapid tests, etc) and explain their validity and utilization in different types of epidemics, as well as the principles of handling biological specimens. Basic principles of data collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination will be explained. The course provides the overview of use and procedures of unlinked and linked anonymous testing and discusses a range of ethical issues and challenges in HIV biological surveillance.

Key topics

  • Clinic and institution-based biological surveillance
  • Biological surveillance as part of community-based surveys
  • HIV testing algorithms and tests used in surveillance in low-level, concentrated and generalised epidemics
  • Molecular diagnostics of HIV
  • Incidence-based HIV surveillance
  • Monitoring resistance to ARV
  • Analysis of surveillance data
  • Quality control in clinical laboratories
  • Data dissemination
  • Ethics in HIV biological surveillance
  • Development of a protocol for biological surveillance

Teaching Methods

The course consists of lectures, exercises and presentations. Interactive methods (e.g. group work, exercises) will be used to encourage full participation from attendees. Participants will be encouraged to reflect upon and apply their learning to their own country settings and to share their experiences with others

Target Audience

Epidemiologists, social scientists, public health professionals.

Duration

The course takes place in five days.

Partners

Institute for Global Health, University of California, San Francisco, USA
University Hospital for Infectious Disease "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic", Zagreb
Croatian Institute of Public Health

Key references

Guidelines for conducting HIV sentinel serosurveys among pregnant women and other groups UNAIDS/WHO working group on global HIV/AIDS and STI surveillance
Link
Guidelines for measuring national HIV prevalence in population-based surveys UNAIDS/WHO working group on global HIV/AIDS and STI surveillance
Link
Guidelines for using HIV testing technologies in surveillance: selection, evaluation, and implementation.
UNAIDS, CDC, WHO
Link
WHO case definitions of HIV for surveillance and revised clinical staging and immunological classification of HIV-related disease in adults and children
Link
HIV testing manual
AIDS Indicator Survey
Macro International Inc.
Link
HIV test kit evaluations
WHO
Link
Using the BED HIV-1 Capture EIA Assay to Estimate Incidence Using STARHS in the Context of Surveillance in the United States
CDC
Link
The Role of Name-Based Notification in Public Health and HIV Surveillance
CDC
Link
EuroHIV 2006 survey on HIV and AIDS surveillance in the WHO European region
EuroHIV
Link
HIV sentinel surveillance in high-risk groups in Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation
WHO
Link
Case Study on estimating HIV infection in a concentrated epidemic: Lessons from Indonesia (2004)
WHO
Link
Ethical issues to be considered in second generation surveillance
WHO
Link

Programme

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COURSE DATES

29 June - 3 July 2008, Dubrovnik, Cavtat
Training course in Surveillance and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections
AGENDA (404 KB)
INFORMATION NOTE FOR MEETING PARTICIPANTS (357 KB)
14-17 July 2008, Zagreb, Croatia
Training course in RDS Data Analysis
AGENDA (388 KB)
INFORMATION NOTE FOR MEETING PARTICIPANTS (352 KB)
MAP OVERVIEW (493 KB)
10-14 November 2008, Zagreb, Croatia
Training course on Design and Implementation of HIV surveys using respondent-driven sampling
AGENDA (335 KB)
REGISTER