Lessons Learned From a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Virtual Partner Services Technical Assistance Pilot Project to Respond to a Local Syphilis Outbreak

Abstract

A virtual partner services technical assistance (TA) project was piloted with the Minnesota Department of Health to address an ongoing syphilis outbreak. The TA reduced the health department's disease intervention specialist workload, achieved partner services outcomes comparable with in-person methods, and identified lessons learned to replicate with other jurisdictions.S yphilis remains a public health challenge in the United States.Since 2014, primary and secondary syphilis and congenital syphilis cases increased by 71% and 185%, respectively. 1 Timely identification and treatment of patients and their partners (partner services) are critical to controlling syphilis. 2,3 Traditionally, health departments use disease intervention specialist (DIS) to conduct field visits, telephone calls, electronic means (e.g., confidential text messaging, email, and messaging in mobile applications used for social and sexual networking), and postal communication to locate, interview, and notify partners. 4 However, with the rising rates of syphilis and the impact of COVID-19, health departments have limited availability of DIS to appropriately manage partner services for sexually transmitted diseases. When health departments need help, they request technical assistance (TA) for Federal field staff with disease investigation expertise to deploy, in-person, for a limited number of days; a common tool used to support local communities. 5 While on-site, the staff provide on-the-ground TA to build capacity of the program to achieve desired partner services outcomes. 6 However, limited federal resources impact the Federal government's ability to accommodate the volume of requests, warranting virtual options of TA to be provided.

Prioritizing syphilis control: Now is the time for action

“…In some settings, the pandemic response has also altered in-person partner services toward digital adaptations. For example, a syphilis outbreak investigation during COVID-19 organized by a local health department was conducted entirely online ( 24 ).…”