contact tracing

American  

[kon-takt trey-sing] / ˈkɒn tækt ˌtreɪ sɪŋ /

noun

1. a public health measure undertaken to slow and eventually halt the spread of a disease that is transmitted person-to-person, in which people who have come in close proximity to or direct contact with an infected person are identified and monitored for signs of infection. These individuals, along with any of their contacts who manifest symptoms, are generally required to isolate themselves long enough to be treated, if necessary, before they can infect others.

   Rigorous contact tracing accompanied by widespread testing has proven effective in reducing deaths during an epidemic.

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Other Word Forms

• contact trace verb (used with or without object)
• contact tracer noun

Etymology

Origin of contact tracing

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The future historians face toilet-paper shortages, quarantines and contact tracing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

The first is how much it costs a local or state health department to address each case, which includes contact tracing, targeted vaccination mobilization and testing.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

Rwanda says it is intensifying contact tracing, surveillance and testing to help contain the spread.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2024

Griffin is the team’s only backup quarterback with experience as a starter, having replaced Dorian Thompson-Robinson for two games in 2020 when Thompson-Robinson was sidelined by contact tracing related to COVID-19.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2024

The Pennsylvania Department of Health paid Atlanta-based Insight Global tens of millions of dollars to administer the state’s contact tracing program during the height of the pandemic.

From Seattle Times • May 1, 2024