Roger-Luc Chayer
There are situations in the sexual life of a person that require a lot of thought and delicacy in order not to destroy a relationship or a couple. Among these, learn that you are a symptomatic carrier of an STBBI, a sexually transmitted disease, in other words! Not sure who she comes from, or you want to inform your partner that he may be carrying or infected, but you do not want, under any consideration, to know that you are infected yourself? Whether it is a gono, syphilis or even HIV, a new government service helps with the management of this issue for all STBBIs, even for other conditions potentially contagious.
In December 2017, the Québec HIV / AIDS Portal launched a new text messaging partner notification tool to support people with STBBIs. A person who receives a positive result from STBBI, when screened or following a clinical diagnosis, is asked to advise their sexual or drug-taking partners (current or past) to allow them to see a professional and to receive appropriate clinical care (assessment, screening and treatment) and, ultimately, to reduce the risk of STBBI transmission in the population. This approach may, in some cases, be difficult for people with STBBI despite support from health professionals.
For those who wish to notify partners for whom they have a cell phone number but feel uncomfortable with notifying them themselves, the Portal offers to notify these partners in their appropriate place. anonymous and free.
The information required to request Portal support is as follows: the relevant STBBI, the partner’s cell phone number and, in the case of HIV, whether the last sexual relationship or the last sharing of consumer equipment with the partner has occurred. occurred in the last 72 hours. In the latter case, the partner will receive relevant information on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
The person must complete an online form on the Portal site and include the minimum information. It is also possible to request this support by phone or text message. The information collected will remain confidential and will be destroyed upon receipt of the notification. It is a community worker who will send the text message to the partner via Sext’Info within 24 to 48 hours following the request. Since this is not an automated service, text messages are sent to partners at a time when they can receive support as a result of the notification, whether in a health care setting or with an advocate Community.
This tool is added to all preventive intervention strategies for people with STBBIs and their partners. It was developed in collaboration with the Prevention of STBBI Directorate of the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Montreal Regional Department of Public Health. Do not hesitate to talk to the people you meet in the clinic if it is relevant to them.
The form is at https://en.surveymonkey.com/r/notificationITSS or ask for help from your CLSC nurse.