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Integrating HIV testing into Syphilis Partner Services in Mississippi to improve HIV case finding
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April 2019
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Source: Sex Transm Dis. 46(4):240-245
[PDF-396.24 KB]
Details:
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Alternative Title:Sex Transm Dis
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Personal Author:
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Description:Background:
Mississippi (MS) has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the United States particularly among MSM. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) integrated partner HIV testing into syphilis partner services (PS)in 2014 but the effectiveness of this as an HIV case-finding strategy has not been evaluated.
Methods:
We identified all cases of early syphilis (primary, secondary, and early latent) reported from 7/1/2014–12/31/2016, excluding cases with a new HIV diagnosis at the time of syphilis diagnosis. Among named sex partners of index cases, we identified all new cases of early syphilis and HIV. We calculated the number needed to interview (NNTI) as the number of syphilis index cases interviewed divided by the number of new cases of early syphilis or HIV identified among partners.
Results:
We identified 1619 index cases of early syphilis, of whom 1535 (95%) were interviewed for PS. These index cases named 2267 partners, of whom 1868 (82%) were contacted by MSDH. Among partners, 1508 (81%) were tested for syphilis and 745 (56%) of the 1,321 partners who were not previously HIV diagnosed were tested for HIV. PS identified 696 new cases of early syphilis (syphilis test positivity=46%) and 24 new cases of HIV (HIV test positivity=3.2%). Overall, 64 index case interviews were needed to identify one new case of HIV among partners, and 2 interviews were needed to identify one new case of syphilis among partners. Among MSM partners tested for HIV, 6.2% tested newly HIV positive.
Conclusions:
Syphilis PS allowed MSDH to interact with 1592 MSM over a 30 month period and was effective for identifying new cases of early syphilis and HIV. Increasing HIV testing among partners of syphilis cases could increase HIV case finding in MS.
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Pubmed ID:30870325
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC6774616
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