Geoffrey A.D. Smereck

Partner notification, or contact tracing, is the identification and notification by health care workers of individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious disease. In the following viewpoint, Geoffrey A.D. Smereck asserts that although the AIDS epidemic presents many difficulties for contact tracing, this practice should still be utilized. Partner notification would cause those at risk of HIV infection to make significant changes in their behavior that could reduce the likelihood of their contracting or spreading HIV, Smereck argues. Laws or regulations that restrict health care workers’ ability to warn third parties of their potential exposure to HIV are unjustified and unwarranted, he maintains. Smereck is the president of the Well-Being Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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