STD E-Cards

Contributed by Ambrose Diaz, Lavalife

Ah, the Internet. Back when it was a new-fangled device, I would send the handful of my friends who had computers an e-mail and then phone them to see if they got it.

Soon thereafter, I'd send people birthday e-cards because it was cheaper than buying stamps.

Even though the technology has been around for quite some time now, I still get a little tinge of excitement when I hear the sound of new mail in my inbox. What could it be? Perhaps a secret admirer? A long lost friend? Maybe someone who wants to bankroll my lavish lifestyle? Well... now you've got something new to look forward to when you open your inbox. Something that might read a little like this:

"I Don't Know How to Tell You That I Gave You an Sexually Transmitted Disease, so I'm Sending You a Card."

If the sender has a playful side, you might get this one:

"It's not what you brought to the party, it's what you left with. I left with an STD. You might have, too."

Welcome to online STD (sexually transmitted disease) alerts. Like many progressive things, it started in San Francisco, specifically a site called inspot.org where health officials created anonymous e-cards that you can send to any of your previous sexual partners to let them know they've been exposed to an STD.

The site was developed with a grant from The San Francisco Department of Public Health (STD Prevention and Control Branch) by the non-profit, Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (I.S.I.S.). It makes a strong point of ensuring that everyone who sends an e-card from the site will remain anonymous and that no personally identifiable information is collected or shared.

Although the site targets gay men as the main users, there's a message for everyone -- gay or straight. Similar sites for both straight and gay communities are popping up in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle and Indianapolis, with more planned in the future.

I'll be honest. When I first heard about the service, my instinct was to send out a few cards to my buddies as a joke. I'm not proud of that impulse, but what can I say? Like many great things on the Internet, this service is open to abuse. But beyond freaking the hell out of someone, I guess if the upshot is their going and get checked for an STD, it wouldn't be a major disaster.

In my case, the site's warning to be respectful and not misuse the system was enough to make me reconsider pulling a prank. But I wonder if it would do the same for everyone. Inspot.org tells us that only one per cent of the over 20,000 cards sent have been fakes. Even though the misuse rates are low, the possibility of frauds is one reason why none of the e-cards specifically mention HIV in their message.

The e-cards do have some nice 'follow-through' with information on where people can get tested locally, facts about STDs, and links to learn more.

Karen Mall is the director of prevention and testing at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles where they have adopted a similar site. She says, "This is another opportunity for people to disclose STD exposure to partners because sometimes people don't always have that face-to-face opportunity, or that level of relationship. Partner disclosure is where we really have the opportunity to break the chain of HIV infection."

It seems like the Internet might be one of the catalysts in the recent rise of STD infection by making strings-free hookups easier. But it is also being used as a facilitator in trying to halt the spread. Tiffany Horton, manager of the L.A.'s Gay and Lesbian Center's sexual health program, says, "Many of the people we are seeing are listing the Internet as the place where they are meeting partners, so the Web site is a really helpful tool for prevention and contacting them."

Health care professionals say the main reason people are not informed about possible STD infection is the stigma and shame that goes along with admitting such a thing. While most professionals will tell you that the best way to tell someone that they might have an STD is in person or over the phone, fears of dealing with anger and embarrassment often stop people from doing so.

When it comes down to it, regardless of how you find out, the bottom line is that it's just better to know. Like one of the e-cards says: "Who? What? When? Where? It doesn't matter..."