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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Claudia Diaz, PhD¹, Sandra Garcia, ScD, ScM¹, Daniel Grossman, MD², Rita Revollo, MD³, Danny Tarqui, BA⁴, Freddy Tinajeros, MPH³, and Kara Richmond, MPH⁴. (1) Population Council Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 01070, 52 55 5999 8630, cdiaz@popcouncil.org.mx, (2) Reproductive Health Program, Ibis Reproductive Health, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0744, (3) Population Council, Calle 17 de Calacoto #8082, Zona Sur, La Paz, Bolivia, (4) Independent consultant, Calle 17 de Calacoto 8082, Zona Sur, La Paz, Bolivia

OBJECTIVES: Assess the feasibility of a partner notification (PN) and presumptive treatment system among male partners of pregnant syphilis-positive Bolivian women. Determine if male partners prefer treatment at a nearby pharmacy rather than at a hospital. METHODS: 208 women were diagnosed with maternal syphilis during antenatal care and invited to notify their partners of their positive status. All women received PN counseling and were given a card requesting that partners visit the hospital to receive a penicillin allergy test and a first free treatment dose. All presenting partners were then given the option of completing treatment at the hospital or at a participating pharmacy. We administered 89 surveys regarding partners' experience with PN, as well as 25 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with male partners. RESULTS: Among the 208 syphilis-positive women, 35 did not have current partners and the other 173 agreed to share PN cards. To date, 111/173 male partners (64.1%) have completed treatment and 4 men refused treatment. Of the 111 who completed treatment, 72.3% did so at the hospital and 27.7% at the pharmacy. Surveys and IDIs revealed that men prefer the hospital over the pharmacy because of trust in health care providers. Men choosing the pharmacy reported convenient hours of operation and proximity to home/work as important factors. CONCLUSIONS. PN cards are a low-cost, feasible, and acceptable component of syphilis control in resource-poor settings. Most partners opted to complete treatment at the hospital over pharmacies. Free treatment was an important factor associated with treatment adherence among male partners.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the challenges of STI partner notification.
• Describe a hospital-based and pharmacy-based partner notification strategy employed among Bolivian women with a positive syphilis diagnosis.

Keywords: STD Prevention, Partner Involvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation