Partner Treatment for STIs
Background
In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that health care providers who treat patients for chlamydia and gonorrhea also provide treatment for the patient’s partner, even if the partner has not been seen by the provider. In response to this recommendation, several states have adopted laws and regulations to implement so-called expedited partner therapy (EPT). Most of these state policies follow the CDC guidelines and recommend this course of treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia infections. In other cases, states allow EPT for the treatment of all STIs or only for specific infections, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia or trichomoniasis. Several of these states encourage or require the health care practitioner to provide information about STIs to the patient to give to their partner.
Visit our state legislation tracker for policy activity on all sexual and reproductive health topics.
Highlights
- 38 states and the District of Columbia allow health care practitioners to provide at least some STI treatment for the partner of a patient diagnosed with an STI without first examining the partner.
- 8 states allow treatment for all or most STIs.
- 30 states and the District of Columbia permit treatment for specific STIs.
- 30 states and the District of Columbia allow treatment for chlamydia.
- 28 states and the District of Columbia allow treatment for gonorrhea.
- 6 states and the District of Columbia permit treatment for trichomoniasis.
- 15 states and the District of Columbia encourage or require health care practitioners to provide patients with information about STIs to give to their partner.
For more information
Public Policy Office
Topic
United States
Geography
Expedited Partner Therapy |
|||||
STATE |
PERMITS TREATMENT OF A PATIENT'S PARTNER FOR: |
INFORMATION FOR A PATIENT'S PARTNER |
|||
All or Most STIs |
Chlamydia |
Gonorrhea |
Trichomoniasis |
||
Alaska |
X |
|
|
|
|
Arizona |
X |
|
|
|
|
Arkansas* |
|
X |
X |
|
|
California |
X |
|
|
|
|
Colorado |
X |
|
|
|
|
Connecticut |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Delaware†,‡ |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
District of Columbia |
|
X |
X |
X |
Required |
Georgia |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Hawaii |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Idaho‡ |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Illinois† |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
Indiana |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
Iowa |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Kentucky |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Louisiana |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
Maine† |
X |
|
|
|
Required |
Maryland |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Massachusetts |
|
X |
|
|
Encouraged |
Michigan *,† |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Minnesota‡ |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Missouri |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Nebraska |
|
X |
X |
X |
Required |
Nevada‡ |
|
X |
X |
|
|
New Hampshire |
X |
|
|
|
|
New Jersey* |
|
X |
X |
|
|
New Mexico† |
|
X |
X |
X |
Encouraged |
New York |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
North Carolina‡ |
|
X |
X |
|
|
North Dakota |
X |
|
|
|
|
Ohio |
|
X |
X |
X |
Required |
Oregon† |
|
X |
X |
|
Encouraged |
Rhode Island |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Tennessee† |
|
X |
|
|
Required |
Texas |
X |
|
|
|
|
Utah |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Vermont |
|
XΨ |
X |
|
Required |
Washington |
|
X |
X |
|
Required |
West VirginaΩ,† |
|
|
|
|
|
Wisconsin |
|
X |
X |
X |
Required |
TOTAL |
8 |
30+DC |
28+DC |
6+DC |
15+DC |
* State policy is limited to different-sex partners. |