Tracing contacts of persons with sexually transmitted diseases in a developing country

Abstract

A simplified system for tracing of contacts of patients suffering from sexually transmitted diseases is presented. Use of a contact card given to the index case led 341 contacts (19.8%) to attend a clinic for treatment voluntarily. Visits to the homes of contacts who did not bring their cards to the clinics were made by health assistants employed by the local health department. After being traced in this manner, a further 367 contacts (21.3%) were seen. No substantial cost was borne by the department, and the exercise did not necessitate the employment of additional staff.