April 10, 2008
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ASSISTANCE WITH CONFIDENTIAL PARTNER NOTIFICATION HELPS REDUCE DISEASE TRANSMISSION
(Richmond, Va.) Notifying people that they may have been exposed to an infectious disease is a critical part of protecting the public health. However, for individuals newly diagnosed with HIV or certain STDs, alerting their partners can be uncomfortable and overwhelming. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) offers Disclosure Assistance Services (DAS) to help people inform sex and or needle sharing partners that they may have been exposed to an infection and should be tested.
In conjunction with STD Awareness Month, VDH is releasing new materials to help people better understand DAS. The materials, available in English and Spanish, include a pocket-sized pamphlet, a series of nine post cards with personal vignettes of how people were affected by Disclosure Assistance, and four posters. VDH has added a Disclosure Assistance Services page to the Division of Disease Prevention's web page. The release of these resources is particularly timely as syphilis rates in Virginia have increased 160 percent between 2003 and 2007. This increase reflects national trends, and is especially alarming because until recently syphilis in the United States had decreased so much that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had actually set a goal of eliminating it by now.
DAS is an effective tool for identifying individuals exposed to HIV and STDs and providing testing, treatment and linkage to care. "Many people are unaware that they may have been exposed to an infection. Because some diseases have no symptoms, people can continue to pass them unknowingly to others or suffer long-term health consequences," explained Kathryn Hafford, Director of the Division of Disease Prevention. "As a result of DAS, many cases of STD disease transmission can be interrupted."
Fear of identification, invasion of privacy, or reprisals from partners often make people reluctant to provide partner names. "Personal information is confidential and only used for medical confirmation purposes. An individual's name and other personal information is never shared with partners in the disclosure assistance process," assures Elaine Martin, Director of Community Services. In order to prevent abuse of the system an individual's diagnosis must be confirmed before partners are notified. "This protects everyone and prevents people from using the process as a prank or in a malicious manner," said Martin.
There are several options for partner notification, but the most popular method is anonymous third party notification. In this scenario a professional health counselor notifies partners. Only the patient may provide identifying and locating information. Names and identities are never shared with partners. Most people choose this method because it is the only method that provides anonymity.
"It's not uncommon for people newly diagnosed with HIV or an STD to feel angry, betrayed or uncertain," said Martin. "We understand that and this service will help people get through the process of notifying partners with the assurance of remaining anonymous."
For more information on DAS, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov or contact the Virginia HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis Hotline at 800-533-4148.
