Perspective on Providing Partner Notification Services for HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Formal attempts to notify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed persons have seldom been used in Africa. Two recent partner notification (PN) trials provide strong evidence that HIV PN is feasible, acceptable to Africans, safe, probably cost-effective, and, above all, capable of producing high proportions of newly identified HIV-infected partners. Referring infected partners to medical (potentially life-saving and transmissiondampening) care should help interrupt onward HIV transmission. Moreover, multiple recent reports indicating the need to reassess transmission dynamics to explain Africa's striking regional differences in HIV prevalence provide a powerful rationale for PN programs, especially those willing to investigate both sexual (including, specifically, anal intercourse) and non-sexual (puncturing exposures) transmission modes. Data from such focused PN initiatives are likely to help elucidate the time-honored question: "Why Africa?" and hence to recalibrate local prevention messages and priorities. The encouraging results from these trials should help efforts to obtain funding assistance from governments and other donors.

Partner Services in Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Programs

“…1-2 As with some other infectious diseases, standard STD partner services practices include the identification, location, and notification of sex partners (and drug-using partners for HIV and some hepatitis infections) of infected persons, and the referral of those partners to evaluation, treatment, and care. 3 The goal is to identify and treat undiagnosed infections and interrupt the chain of transmission at a level sufficient to reduce morbidity.…”