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Using social network and ethnographic tools to evaluate syphilis transmission
R B Rothenberg1, C Sterk, K E Toomey
1Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
|April 3, 1998
Summary
A social network approach offers a powerful alternative to traditional syphilis partner notification methods. This method, incorporating ethnographic data, can improve syphilis prevention and control by revealing complex exposure patterns.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Social Network Analysis
Background:
- Traditional partner notification is key for syphilis control in the US.
- This method may not fully leverage contextual data available through social network analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of a social network approach for syphilis outbreak management.
- To compare the social network approach with traditional syphilis epidemiology methods.
Main Methods:
- Investigated a syphilis outbreak using interviews, network-based resource allocation, and network diagrams.
- Incorporated ethnographic observations into outbreak management strategies.
Main Results:
- Network diagrams provided an alternative to traditional epidemic curves.
- Identified uninfected individuals with multiple concurrent exposures, demonstrating case prevention.
- Concurrent exposures complicated traditional source and spread criteria in infected individuals.
Conclusions:
- Partner notification is a component of a broader, more effective social network approach.
- This approach challenges fundamental principles of syphilis epidemiology.