Skip to main content icon/video/no-internet

Partner Notification Programs in HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) partner notification programs assist HIV-positive individuals in notifying high-risk sexual or injection drug partners of their HIV exposure. Often, it is too difficult to do this on one's own. Accepting an HIV-positive diagnosis can be challenging; having trained service providers available to assist with an anonymous notification process can be very helpful. Notified partners are not given the HIV-positive individual's name; only testing recommendations and service referrals are provided. If the informed individual had only one high-risk behavior, it is likely he or she will correctly guess the exposure source and HIV-positive status of that person. In such cases, it is possible the exposed person might disclose the HIV-positive person's identity and status.

Identifying exposed partners is key in the fight against HIV, so treatment can begin and cases of new infections can be reduced. High-risk contact information must be given voluntarily, absent of coercion or deception, to ensure comprehensiveness and accuracy. Once informed of exposure, HIV-positive partners can be careful to avoid infecting others as they might have done unintentionally prior to learning their own status.

Partner notification services should be client centered, confidential, free, and evidence based. Services and disseminated information should be comprehensive, integrative, accessible, and available to everyone while being culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate. The History of HIV has included Many different groups that have suffered from stigma and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Informed individuals are encouraged to be tested and to receive HIV education and treatment as needed.

Partner Notification Efficacy

Partner notification programs have become widely accepted and have demonstrated new infection reductions. In New York, for example, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found notification and referral services for gonorrhea to be most effective by targeting geographic areas instead of interviewing, in person, all infected individuals and their partners.

In the United States, according to the CDC, approximately 25 percent of HIV-positive individuals do not know their infection status. Partner notification provides an opportunity for outreach to persons known to be at risk. The CDC found that one in eight notified individuals was newly diagnosed as HIV positive. The Task Force on Community Prevention Services' review of studies found that 14 to 26 percent of notified partners were diagnosed as HIV positive. Overall, partner notification services have been found to be cost-effective but greatly underused.

Diversity Implications

Anyone can become HIV infected regardless of age, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, race, and more. Culturally sensitive protocols should be provided to each respective group; one size will not fit all, and the goal of partner notification is to identify individuals who can benefit from diagnosis and treatment. Trained service providers, knowledgeable about the special needs of a population as well as relevant laws and regulations, are integral to the success of this process. Stigma, cultural rights and wrongs, religious beliefs, as well as racial and language differences and implications must be considered in any partner notification program.

Men Who Have Sex with Men

Men who have sex with men (MSM) represent a diverse community across race, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The CDC reported a 34 percent increase in HIV infections among young gay and bisexual men between 2006 and 2009. In 2010, 63 percent of all new AIDS cases were among MSMs. MSMs accounted for 51 percent of the new cases within the African American population and 68 percent among Latinos. These groups have been affected by stigma and discrimination based on sexual orientation, ethnic and racial identity, and high rates of HIV. Many MSMs do not self-identify as homosexual, wishing to avoid that stigma; they may resist disclosing their HIV status to at-risk partners.

...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles

Sage Recommends

We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.

Loading