A new service allows users to send email notifications to sexual partners informing them that they’ve exposed them to an STD. The service, called inSPOT, was created in San Francisco in 2004 and is now in several states, including Idaho, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, among others. In the past, health departments only notify the sexual partners of people with STDs if they might be infected with syphilis. Officials don’t try to track down the partners of people with HIV, for instance, or gonorrhea, chlamydia, or herpes.
A person will receive an email with the subject, “E-card from a concerned friend re: your health via inSPOT.” People who send the messages can choose to be anonymous or include their name. They also get to choose images to appear on the e-cards, including a photo of the words “I’m so sorry” on a piece of paper (because that’ll really help). Since 2004, 30,000 people have sent nearly 50,000 e-cards, the report said. So keep an eye on your inbox.
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