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MAY 2003 — Behavioral surveillance surveys (BSS) have been shown over several years to make an important and useful contribution to informing the national response to HIV. These surveys use reliable methods to track HIV risk behaviors over time as part of an integrated surveillance system which monitors various aspects of the epidemic. They are especially useful in providing information on behaviors among sub-populations who may be difficult to reach through traditional household surveys, but who may be at especially high risk for contracting or passing on HIV, such as sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.

As interest and experience in BSS has grown, a demand has surfaced for all the available tools to be gathered into a single document. These guidelines meet that demand. They are designed to provide a "one-stop" reference to help public health officials set up and manage systems that provide reliable trends in HIV risk behaviors. Information is also provided to help those who will be implementing the surveys themselves.