This bill amends the Code of West Virginia to expand the provisions for expedited partner therapy (EPT) in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Specifically, it allows health care professionals to provide EPT for bacterial vaginitis and trichomoniasis using flagyl and clindamycin cream. The bill maintains existing regulations that require health care professionals to ensure that the sexual partner is unlikely or unable to seek comprehensive health care and that the partner has been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease within the last sixty days.

Additionally, the bill emphasizes the importance of counseling for patients receiving EPT, advising them to encourage their sexual partners, particularly women with symptoms suggestive of pelvic inflammatory disease, to seek medical attention. Health care professionals are also required to provide written or electronic materials from the department to be shared with the patient's sexual partner. Overall, the bill aims to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment for sexually transmitted diseases by allowing for a broader application of expedited partner therapy.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 16-4F-2