The study was conducted in 2004 and repeated in 2011 to compare the contact-tracing success rate of the partner notification services routinely provided by the community-based youth health centres in Uppsala County, Sweden.

Objective The study had two goals, (i) to compare the number of sexual partners routinely reported by each diagnosed index case with CT and the success rate in tracing and testing these partners for CT infection in 2004 and 2011 (ii) To compare the notification practises in reporting the number of cases of unsuccessful contact tracing to the CMO in 2004 and 2011.

Successful contact-tracing is defined as the confirmed attendance of a sexual contact within 12 months of the contact with the index case.

Results The number of CT cases diagnosed by the youth health centres during 2004 was 463 (299 females/164 males) and 529 (339/190) during 2011. The females reported 660 male sexual contacts 2004 and 861 in 2011 and the males reported 386 female contacts in 2004 and 494 in 2011. Successful partner notification was achieved for 73% of all sexual contacts in 2004 but only 64% in 2011. 164 (74 females and 90 males) unsuccessful partner notifications were reported to the CMO in 2004 and the corresponding numbers for 2011 were 288 (105 females and 183 males).

Conclusions Between 2004 and 2011 there has been an increase in the mean number of sexual contacts among young adults in Uppsala County. Successful partner notification was significantly reduced. When asymptomatic, genital CT infection spreads among sexually active young adults with multiple, unidentified sexual partners, appropriate methods of partner notification are not sufficient to achieve its aims at the population level. Novel strategies are needed.