Pilot programme using social network interviews to screen high-risk adolescents and young adults

Objective: To describe a pilot programme that consisted of identifying, contacting and providing HIV testing to members of social and sexual networks of HIV-infected youth patients as a part of routine clinical care at an adolescent HIV clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Methods: Forty-nine sexually active HIV-infected adolescent patients were interviewed about their social and sexual contacts at a routine HIV clinic visit. A trained community health worker located these referred social and sexual contacts, and encouraged them to make an appointment for HIV counselling, testing and referral (CTR) services. Results: During a period of 18 months, 26 index youths provided locating information on 53 first-generation contacts and these 53 contacts provided information on 16 second-generation contacts. A total of 32 contacts received counselling services and 25 were tested for HIV infection, yielding three new HIV-positive individuals. Conclusion: As a part of standard care for regular visits of HIV-infected youth patients, interviewing about their social and sexual contacts could be a viable strategy in identifying high-risk youths for HIV infection and subsequent CTR services.