These fact sheets on reported cases of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis are produced by the Data and Analysis Section of the HIV/STD/TB Program (HST) in the Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology of Oregon Department of Human Services. They provide counts of reported cases of HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis and tuberculosis by county and certain case characteristics for the two most recent calendar years through the most recent quarter of the current year. In addition, HIV testing data are presented by county, test outcome, type of test (i.e. rapid vs. traditional antibody tests).

These county level data are presented with minimal interpretation specific to each county. For additional statewide disease trends please see our program site. In addition, where a categorical group population in a particular county, (e.g. African American women) is reasonably suspected to be <50 persons, or <5 cases have been reported within a three-year interval, case counts will not be reported at this level. For these counties, only the total number of cases per year is reported.

The data come from mandatory case reporting by laboratories and providers. Information on disease reporting rules in Oregon for STD's, TB and HIV/AIDS are located online. 

For all disease reporting, a case is “assigned” to the county of residence for that individual at the time the case is reported; this may be different than the county where the key laboratory tests were performed or the diagnosis was made. In addition, delays between initial reporting and inclusion in state databases may occur. In the case of HIV, this delay may be as much as 6 months. For this reason cases counts for the current and most recently completed calendar year should be considered provisional. Sometimes, new HIV cases are reported many years after the initial diagnosis. In these instances the number of cases diagnosed for a particular year may continue to increment several years later.

Statewide for Oregon during 2004 – 2007 some important trends in HIV, sexually transmitted disease and tuberculosis include:

• The number of new HIV infections diagnosed by year of diagnosis has remained stable at approximately 300 per year, and the number of deaths have remained constant at approximately 100 per year.
• Approximately 59% of all reported cases of HIV infection were residents of Multnomah County at the time of their case report; Multnomah County accounts for 19% of Oregon’s estimated 2005 population.
• Persistently, approximately 40% of newly reported HIV infections have progressed to AIDS at the time of diagnosis or within 12 months.
• After a nadir of 151 newly diagnosed cases in 1999 and 142 in 2000, new HIV/AIDS diagnoses among men who have sex with men have risen >20% to 171 and 182 during 2004 and 2005.
• After a two-year increase, gonorrhea rates appear to have leveled off in 2006. In Oregon, at least a portion of the observed increase appears to have been related to increased testing and more sensitive diagnostic tests. (Oregon DHS. Gonorrhea rates are up–NAATurally. CD Summary. December 13, 2005).
• During the first half of 2007, reported cases of Gonorrhea have declined by 25% compared to the same period in 2006.  Declines occured amoung men and persons >40 years of age.
• Amoung Oregon's most populous counties, (Lane, Multnomah, Marion, Washington and Clackamas) all have recorded declines of 15% or more.
• Tuberculosis cases declined in 2006 compared with 2004-­2005 and are on pace to match 2006 levels in 2007. Foreign born cases continue to predominate. (Oregon DHS. Welcome to Oregon! When was your last TB test? CD Summary. September 19, 2006).
• Early syphilis cases have declined from a recent high of 74 cases in 2004 to 55 and 57 in 2004-­2005 and in 2006 through the first half of 2007.  Cases of early syphilis fell again to half the number of reported cases during the first half of 2007 . Most cases occured in men, many of whom report sex with other men.
• Chlamydia cases increased in 2006 and approximately the same number of cases were reported during the first half of 2007 as during the first half of 2006. The reason is not known, but the increase cannot easily be attributed to increases in screening.