MMWR: HIV Infection Among Partners of HIV-Infected Black Men Who Have Sex With Men – North Carolina, 2011-2013

This report examined results of a prospective partner series study conducted in North Carolina and of an in depth evaluation of one of the partner networks. The approach for partner services used involved contacting partners of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection and using sexual and social networks and molecular phylogenetic data to improve the continuum of HIV care among black men who have sex with men (MSM). Partner services were provided to 30 black HIV infected MSM who named 95 sex partners and social contacts of whom 39 previously had been diagnosed with HIV infection. A high proportion of networks had both HIV-infected and negative partners. Results show that partner notification might provide an important measure of ensuring all HIV-infected partners in the networks engaged in treatment. The report concludes that interventions for HIV-infected and HIV-negative partners could impact on transmission within the networks improving the continuum of care among black MSM and reducing the number of new infections.