Contact tracing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Contact tracing--or partner notification--is a generally accepted method for the control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but its use as an epidemiological tool against the spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been questioned. The authors find contact tracing for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) quite feasible; it makes it possible for health care providers to reach people at high risk for infection in order to offer them counseling and testing. Contact tracing must be performed by someone directly engaged in caring for the HIV infected patient, as well as in giving support and aiding the patient through possible crisis reactions. Through this approach the authors were able to identify 188 contacts to 91 index patients. Thirty-eight of the contacts were seropositive for HIV infection, and 21 of these were previously unaware of their infection.