Contact tracking or partner notification, is a technique used by Governments to try to limit the spread of diseases. When a person is diagnosed with a disease, such as a trackable STD, is he asked for the names of people he might have received from or given it to. For Std, this is usually a person, whom they have had sex with since their last negative. After the list of possible contacts are acquired, try public health officials to come into contact with the regional partners and to bring he or them in for examination and treatment.
The goal of partner notification is to find and deal with any person, as the original case may have infected, before he can pass the disease on the other. Contact tracking is especially useful for sexually transmitted diseases, since they are so difficult to disperse. In theory to curable diseases such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea could contact tracing eliminate diseases entirely. In practice, it is unfortunately not nearly as effective. People are often reluctant to divulge their sexual partners. Even when they pass their names reached them can be difficult. And when granted, some people may refuse testing and treatment. Since many Std remains asymptomatic in years, it is also often impossible to get a comprehensive list of possible contacts, even when a person is being cooperative.
Partner notification laws vary from State to State and disease by disease. Even if partner notification is done by public health professionals in most areas, individuals with Std is usually also called on to speak with their partners themselves. As technology improved, developed constant new tools for partner notification. In recent years, these tools have included not only testing and treatment during the outreach work in the field, but the novel uses the Internet as contact persons using screen names and emails rather than real names, and phone. Some jurisdictions also offer presumptive treatment for current sexual partners who are not willing to come for testing. In these cases, the person who has been diagnosed with the disease given medicine to their partner or partners, without entering for an exam. While not ideal, presumptive treatment is used to reach potential disease carriers, which would otherwise be outside the scope of traditional treatment methods.
Sources:
Hogben M (2007) "Partner notification for sexually transmitted diseases." Clin infect DIS. 44 (Suppl 3): S160-74.
Lawrence, et al. (2002) ", STD Screening, Testing, case reporting and clinical and Partner notification practices: a National Survey of us Physicians" AJPH 92 (11): 1784-1788.
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