Responding to a Community Outbreak of Syphilis by Targeting Sex Partner Meeting Location:

Abstract

In Brief Background Effective syphilis control and elimination require community effort and innovative case-finding techniques, especially to identify infected persons from core transmission groups. Goal To summarize the implementation and outcomes of a community-oriented response to a localized outbreak of syphilis directed at sex partner meeting places. Study Design Syphilis surveillance and rapid response data from a 7-month period were analyzed for risk behaviors, sex partner meeting locations, field investigation outcomes, and social and sexual network connections. Results Four (6%) of the sixty-nine persons tested were confirmed syphilis reactors, of whom three were new cases. A sexual and needle-sharing network of 15 persons was identified that included two of the new syphilis cases. These two had not been found through standard field investigation. Conclusions Targeting interventions to sex partner meeting places may effectively complement traditional syphilis control tools and find previously unidentified syphilis cases in high-morbidity areas. A community-oriented response to a local outbreak of syphilis targeted sex partner meeting places. A high-risk sexual and needle-sharing network was identified, including two individuals not found through standard field investigation.