[Contact tracing in HIV infections]

The HIV counselling and testing clinic at the Oslo City Board of Health started in April 1986 to monitor its programme to encourage HIV-infected persons to inform their partners. By 1 April 1989, 65 of 233 potentially identifiable case contacts reported by 167 index patients had been tested and shown to be HIV-antibody positive. For 30 of the case contacts the main reason for seeking counselling and taking a HIV-antibody test was being told that their partner was HIV-infected. We discuss the effectiveness and acceptability of the programme.