Ventura County, Calif., Health Officials Gear Up For New Statewide Reporting System
Ventura County, Calif., health officials say that the county could record up to 1,200 HIV cases in the next six months under the state's new HIV reporting system, which was introduced on July 1, the Ventura County Star reports. Prior to the implementation of the new system, county health agencies reported AIDS cases only to state health officials, but under the new anonymous program, HIV cases will be recorded as well. There are currently 347 reported AIDS cases in Ventura County, and local health officials project that the number of HIV-positive county residents could reach 1,200 in the next six months. Diana Goulet, Ventura County's program coordinator for HIV/AIDS, said that the new reporting system will help health officials craft targeted prevention messages to populations most in need of them. She noted that there is already a program in place to help individuals who test positive for HIV inform their current or former sex partners of their status and that several of the volunteers with the program speak Spanish to accommodate the county's Spanish-speaking population (Montero, Ventura County Star, 7/9).
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