EVIDENCE OF THOROUGH REPORTING OF SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN A SOUTHERN RURAL COUNTY

Background and Objectives: Private physicians outside the South have b een found to report half or fewer of the sexually transmitted diseases that they diagnose, The authors studied whether this is also true in a Southern rural county.Study Design: Reports of gonorrhea and chlamyd ia infection from private physician practices in a rural North Carolin a county were compared with laboratory records of positive test result s, The proportions reported through 8 months of passive surveillance w ere compared with the proportion reported during 2 months of active we ekly telephone surveillance. Results: A total of 72% of all positive g onorrhea test results and 55% of all chlamydia test results were repor ted through passive surveillance, The proportions increased to 88% and 79%, respectively, with active surveillance, A separate system of mul tiple checks ensured complete reporting of syphilis that was not affec ted by surveillance type. Conclusions: A relatively high proportion of sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed by private physicians was rep orted in this rural county. Potential reasons include physician awaren ess of reporting requirements, delegation of reporting to clinical sta ff, and personal acquaintance with the health department staff.