Contact Tracing Guidelines

This app reflects best-practice contact tracing, providing practical support to enhance partner notification for HIV, viral hepatitis and other STIs in Australia.

It has been written for health professionals working in primary care, including general practitioners, community and public health nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and sexual health, hepatitis and HIV services staff.

It provides practical support and guidance to enhance the effectiveness of partner notification for HIV, viral hepatitis and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) diagnoses.

When patients are diagnosed with a treatable sexually transmitted infection it is vital that testing and treatment of their sexual partners is properly considered, discussed and supported. Research shows that a substantial proportion of the partners of such patients will be infected but unaware of this, warranting efforts to ensure partner notification is facilitated and completed successfully.

Treatment of infected partners will help them avert complications and reduce the duration of infectiousness, potentially curbing further sexual transmission. This is particularly important where HIV is concerned. Identification of new cases of HIV through partner notification means those individuals can commence antiretroviral therapy earlier, improving their prognosis and limiting further transmission of HIV.