The definition of AIDS has changed over time. How does the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (CIDPC) account for these changes when reporting AIDS data?
The definition of AIDS has changed only slightly since AIDS surveillance began. However, the national AIDS surveillance database has not been adjusted to take account of these changes. All reports of AIDS fall under the definition of AIDS that was current at the time of the AIDS diagnosis. Once in the database, the AIDS case report remains in the database. Information recorded on the reporting form also does not change. The definition of the Canadian AIDS diagnosis has changed over time as more information has been gathered on the disease. In general, the definition has expanded to include additional diseases indicative of AIDS. This means that some cases that now fit the criteria for an AIDS diagnosis may not have fit the narrower criteria used in the past. For example, before 1993, AIDS would not have been diagnosed in an HIV positive individual who also had tuberculosis disease. Yet, this same person would now be considered to have AIDS, as the current definition for AIDS includes a
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