title: Partner notification for HIV and STD in the United States: low coverage for gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, and HIV.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the scope of current public health partner-notification (PN) activities in the United States.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal of the study was to define what PN services U.S. health departments provide in areas with high STD/HIV-related morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved a survey of STD program staff members in U.S. areas with the highest reported rates of infectious syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV in 1998.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Staff members of 60 (77%) of 78 health departments provided data. PN interviews were conducted with 7583 (89%) of 8492 cases of syphilis, 23,097 (17%) of 139,287 cases of gonorrhea, and 26,487 (12%) of 228,210 cases of chlamydia. In areas with mandatory HIV reporting, 4375 (52%) of 8328 persons infected with HIV were interviewed for PN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Except for patients with syphilis, public health PN services affect only a minority of persons with STD or HIV infection in high-morbidity areas of the United States.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and the Center for AIDS & STD, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, Box 359777, 325 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. golden@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Golden
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hogben
authors.forename: H Hunter
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Handsfield
authors.forename: Janet S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: St  Lawrence
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Potterat
authors.forename: King K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Holmes
mesh_terms: D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016358:Contact Tracing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014492:United States Public Health Service / Q000592:standards*