Partner Notification

Excerpt

To the Editors: A recent article titled "Partner Notification: Can It Control Epidemic Syphilis?" might have been better titled "Partner Notification: Can It Control Epidemic Syphilis in a Drug-Using Population?" (1). This title is more consistent with their findings that partner notification is not effective where partners are transient, multiple, and anonymous.

Brandt, in the accompanying editorial, questioned the usefulness of partner notification in the control of epidemic syphilis (2). There is clear and convincing evidence of the effectiveness of contact tracing in interrupting syphilis epidemics in Massachusetts and elsewhere (3). Like any technology, partner notification works when the circumstances