contact tracing

noun

Definition of contact tracing

: the practice of identifying, notifying, and monitoring individuals who may have had close contact with a person having a confirmed or probable case of an infectious disease as a means of controlling the spread of infection Health authorities in all these places are working hard to find the original source, or "patient zero," using what's called contact tracing, or finding all the people the patients were in contact with … . In a highly mobile world, that's increasingly difficult. — The Salt Lake Tribune In the previous two years, two chancroid cases had been diagnosed in Massachusetts. The outbreak was terminated by intensive surveillance efforts, contact tracing, and antimicrobial treatment of both symptomatic and asymptomatic sex partners. — The Journal of the American Medical Association

Other Words from contact tracing

contact tracer noun, plural contact tracers

And each positive case will require a contact tracer to retrace the patient's steps and track down as many people as possible who they might have come into contact with. — Luke DeCock and Adam Wagner

Learn More About contact tracing

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near contact tracing

contact trace

contact tracing

contact twin

Statistics for contact tracing

Cite this Entry

“Contact tracing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contact%20tracing. Accessed 23 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for contact tracing

contact tracing

noun

Medical Definition of contact tracing

: the practice of identifying, notifying, and monitoring individuals who may have had close contact with a person having a confirmed or probable case of an infectious disease as a means of controlling the spread of infection Public health modeling of the spread of COVID-19 has shown that successful contact tracing can reduce the number of infections dramatically, if infected individuals are quarantined, and their contacts and places visited can be identified.— Michela Franchini et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health In the previous two years, two chancroid cases had been diagnosed in Massachusetts. The outbreak was terminated by intensive surveillance efforts, contact tracing, and antimicrobial treatment of both symptomatic and asymptomatic sex partners. — The Journal of the American Medical Association

Other Words from contact tracing

contact tracer noun

The investigations are done by contact tracers who help identify close contacts of people who are COVID-19 positive, tell them how to quarantine and provide information about COVID-19. — Terry DeMio, The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer