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in the Special Need Section, which would includes those identified as HIV positive was 262
persons or .6 percent of the total homeless population.
Incarcerated Persons
The Illinois Department of Public Health Surveillance Unit currently reports 2,774 inmates with
HIV/AIDS. Based on current unmet need estimates, 813 or 29.3 percent are reported as
receiving medical treatment for HIV. Surveillance records indicate that 1,191 incarcerated
persons with HIV identified injection drug use as their risk for HIV and 279 identified MSM as
their risk for HIV. The majority (2,054) of the HIV positive individuals in the state correction
system are between 25 to 44 and African American (2,106).
Persons with Viral Hepatitis
All cases of acute and/or chronic hepatitis A, B and C must be reported to the local authority
under Illinois Administrative Code part 690. Surveillance for viral hepatitis is maintained by the
Illinois Department of Public Health’s Division of Infectious Disease Communicable Disease
(Hepatitis A and C) and Immunization (Hepatitis B) Sections (Table 7).
Table 7. Incidence of Acute Viral Hepatitis
Acute
Cases Reported for United States Reported for Illinois Rate per
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2004 2005 2006 2007 100,000*
Hepatitis
A
5,683 4,488 3,579 2,708 147 130 109 118 0.98
Hepatitis
B
6,212 5,494 4,713 3,936 111 157 166 129 1.09
Hepatitis
C
758 694 802 722 15 3 13 16 0.09
* Number of Cases and Rates (per 100,000 persons) of Reported Acute Hepatitis A, Acute Hepatitis B, and Acute
Hepatitis C in Illinois, 2004-2007
The number of reported cases of acute hepatitis A (HAV) during the years 2004-2007 ranged
from 147 in 2004 to 118 in 2007, with an average annual rate of 126 cases reported. The number
of reported cases of acute hepatitis B (HBV) during the same time period ranged from 111 in
2004 to 166 in 2007 with an average annual rate of 140 cases reported. Hepatitis C (HCV)
became reportable in April 2001. The number of reported cases of acute hepatitis C during the
years 2004-2007 ranged from 16 in 2007 to three in 2005, with an annual average of 12.
Projected rates of acute hepatitis A, B, and C averaged at 0.72 cases per 100,000 (Table 5).
Burden of Chronic Hepatitis
Although it is believed that reports received of chronic hepatitis B and C greatly underestimate
the true disease burden, the national estimate of chronic hepatitis B infection accounts for at least
1.3 million persons; chronic hepatitis C accounts for an additional 3.2 million persons.
Approximately 4.9 percent of the U.S. population has been infected with the hepatitis B virus
and 6 percent to 10 percent of those infections progress to chronic disease. According to that
