What limitations affect the reporting of HIV and AIDS data?
A data limitation is something that may affect the accuracy of data. It is important to keep data limitations in mind when reading reports describing surveillance data. Some limitations that affect the reporting of HIV and AIDS data in Canada include the following. Ethnicity Data Not all provinces or territories routinely collect or report data on ethnic origin. Many of the data reported on ethnic origin at the national level vary in completeness and may result in underrepresentation among certain communities. Such data may also vary in accuracy, as ethnicity reporting is restricted to predefined ethnic categories and thereby limits the choice of ethnic designation. In addition, many individuals may not wish to self-identify to a specific group. Underreporting The number of reported AIDS cases and positive HIV test reports at any point in time is not a true reflection of the total number of people living with AIDS or HIV infection.
