Support among persons infected with HIV for routine health department contact for HIV partner notification

Public health partner notification (PN) services are provided inconsistently to persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and some community groups representing persons with HIV/AIDS have opposed widespread application of PN. We surveyed persons with HIV recently reported to our health department and a random sample of HIV-infected persons attending an HIV/AIDS clinic. A total of 95 persons, of whom 76 (80%) were men who have sex with men, completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Eighty-four percent of participants believed the health department should routinely offer everyone diagnosed with HIV help in notifying their partners; 79% indicated they would be somewhat or very likely to provide information to a doctor, case worker, or health department employee for purposes of PN; and 20% indicated they wanted help in notifying a recent sex partner. Seventy-eight percent of participants believed the health department should contact all HIV-infected persons after diagnosis to help them access medical care and social services, and 68% wanted the health department to contact them about the availability of medical or social services. In contrast to common public perceptions, these results suggest that most persons with HIV support health departments routinely contacting people after HIV diagnosis and that many want assistance with PN.