Open AccessEstimating the Return of Persons Living With HIV/AIDS to New Orleans: Methods for Conducting Disease Surveillance in the Wake of a Natural Disaster
Author(s) -
William T. Robinson,
Debbie Wendell,
DeAnn Gruber,
Joseph Foxhood,
M. Beth Scalco,
Amy Zapata
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2007.110080
Subject(s) - human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , wake , environmental health , disease , medicine , natural disaster , gerontology , virology , geography , pathology , engineering , aerospace engineering , meteorology
Hurricane Katrina disrupted HIV/AIDS surveillance by invalidating the New Orleans, La, surveillance and population data on persons living with HIV/AIDS. We describe 2 methods--population return and HIV surveillance data--to estimate the return of the infected population to New Orleans. It is estimated that 58% to 64% of 7068 persons living with HIV/AIDS returned by summer 2006. Although developed for HIV planning, these methods could be used with other disease surveillance programs.