Partner Notification for Gonorrhea and Syphilis in Belgrade

“Contact tracing” or “partner notification” refers to clinicians’ efforts to identify sex partners of infected persons to ensure their medical evaluation and treatment. For many years partner notification has been a cornerstone in the management of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and it is the essential component in the control of these infections. Clinicians’ efforts to ensure the treatment of a patient’s sex partners can reduce the risk for re-infection and potentially diminish transmission of STIs. Partner notification includes three different approaches for notifying the sexual partners of the person infected with a STI: provider referral, patient referral, and contract referral. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of partner notification among syphilis and gonorrhea cases registered at the City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases in Belgrade in 2016, and its contribution to prevention and control of these diseases. A retrospective chart review of patients with gonorrhea and early syphilis registered in 2016 was undertaken. We analyzed data about the possible source of infection as well as sexual orientation, provided on the official form for notification of syphilis and gonorrhea. The study included 112 male patients, 67 with gonorrhea and 45 with syphilis. Out of three modalities of partner notification offered to patients, only patient notification of sexual partner/s was accepted. Although all patients accepted this type of partner notification, index patients with gonorrhea notified only 17 partners (25.4%) and index patients with syphilis also notified 17 partners (37.8%). The effectiveness of partner notification for gonorrhea and syphilis cases was only 30.4%, and its contribution to prevention and control of these diseases was lower than we expected. National guidelines offering standardized protocols for partner notification service provision can improve this process, as a novel approach with non-traditional method of partner notification such as patient-delivered partner therapy.