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In public health, contact tracing is the process of identifying persons who may have been exposed to an infected person ("contacts") and subsequent collection of further data to assess transmission. By tracing the contacts of infected individuals, testing them for infection, and isolating or treating the infected, this public health tool aims to reduce infections in the population. In addition to infection control, contact tracing serves as a means to identify high-risk and medically vulnerable populations who might be exposed to infection and facilitate appropriate medical care. In doing so, public health officials utilize contact tracing to conduct disease surveillance and prevent outbreaks. In cases of diseases of uncertain infectious potential, contact tracing is also sometimes performed to learn about disease characteristics, including infectiousness. Contact tracing is not always the most efficient method of addressing infectious disease. In areas of high disease prevalence, screening or focused testing may be more cost-effective. The goals of contact tracing include: Interrupting ongoing transmission and reduce the spread of an infection Alerting contacts to the possibility of infection and offer preventive services or prophylactic care Offering diagnosis, counseling and treatment to already infected individuals If the infection is treatable, helping prevent reinfection of the originally infected patient Learning about the epidemiology of a disease in a particular population Being a tool in multifaceted prevention strategy to effectively curb the spread of an infectious disease. Contact tracing programs were first implemented to track syphilis cases in the 1930s. Initial efforts proved to be difficult given the stigmatization associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Individuals were reluctant to report infections because they were concerned for their privacy. Revealing partner history and details about sexual activity was challenging as it affected relationships among individuals and community members.

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SwissCovid and Privacy

Explores SwissCovid encryption, key verification, and privacy challenges in contact tracing.

Digital Contact Tracing: Decentralized Privacy Protocols

Explores decentralized privacy-preserving digital contact tracing protocols in crowded environments.

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Explores the challenges and vulnerabilities of digital contact tracing technology, focusing on the SwissCovid app and its implications.

Hits and Misses: Digital Contact Tracing in a Pandemic

Marcel Salathé

Traditional contact tracing is one of the most powerful weapons people have in the battle against a pandemic, especially when vaccines do not yet exist or do not afford complete protection from infection. But the effectiveness of contact tracing hinges on ...

SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD2023

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Group testing is a technique that can reduce the number of tests needed to identify infected members in a population, by pooling together multiple diagnostic samples. Despite the variety and importance of prior results, traditional work on group testing ha ...

IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC2023

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the first epidemic in human history in which digital contact tracing has been deployed at a global scale. Tracking and quarantining all the contacts of individuals who test positive for a virus can help slow down an epidemi ...

AMER PHYSICAL SOC2022