Let Them Know was developed by the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre ‘to help people who have been diagnosed with Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Mycoplasma genitalium, Syphilis and Trichomonas to tell their sexual partners that they might also be at risk’.
STI Contact Tracing
Contact tracing of sexual partners forms part of the overall management for an STI (along with treatment medications or therapies for the infected person).
When someone is diagnosed with a STI, the treating GP or clinic nurse needs to inform the local Health Department of the positive test as most STI’s are classed as ‘notifiable infections’. Following this, the GP or nurse are required to commence contact tracing procedures.
Contact tracing aims to reduce re-infection and complications of STI’s. Most STI’s produce no symptoms, so it can be difficult for sexual partners to know that they have been potentially infected unless they are told.
Contact tracing begins with a discussion between the infected person (patient) and the GP or clinic nurse. From there, the patient can decide to inform their sexual partner/s or this can be done by someone else. Both of these methods can be anonymous or not. Some people prefer to directly contact a sexual partner by telephone, text message, or email and have a discussion.
How Does Let Them Know Work?
An alternative and anonymous method that can be used is delivered from the Let Them Know website, and the process is really straightforward.
- Firstly, you are offered the choice to enter your name or leave it anonymous.
- Then you enter the partners name and their mobile number or email address (you need to know these details beforehand).
- You then enter the reason for notification (from a STI options drop-down list).
- The message (SMS or email) is then sent.
The website also contains a list of factsheets and FAQ’s that can be helpful for making informed decisions.
Real Men’s Health Takeaway
The Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) has developed contract tracing guidelines which can be accessed here.
