The e-card, which allows the sender to select the disease involved and includes links to public health sites and services, is part of that strategy. "Notifying the person exposed to a sexually transmitted infection is the critical piece in preventing further spread," said Dr. Susan Blank, New York City's assistant health commissioner for sexually transmitted disease. "And as the reach of the Internet expands for use in finding instant sex partners, we're using that technology as part of the solution."
Along with eight other cities and three states, New York City has been working with inSPOT, the online partner notification system through which Steve, in San Francisco, received his syphilis e-card. (It is currently aimed at gay men but is expanding its audience to include heterosexuals, and plans to start a national site this year.)
The system was developed in 2004 by Internet Sexuality Information Services, a nonprofit agency in Oakland, Calif., with the support of health officials in San Francisco. Deb Levine, the agency's executive director, said two factors in San Francisco led to the idea: the rise in Internet use among men who have sex with men, and an increase in syphilis among that group.
On the one hand, it's not really a product you want--but on the other hand, it's a product you might need.
Doesn't get much funnier than gay syphilis jokes on the new "business" page.
Oh, crap, now when you indulge in a cheap one-night fling you have to give the chick your email?
Megan,
Check your e-mail.
J.
Isn't this a terrible idea in light of the computer viruses going around?
1. What % of people getting an e-mail like this will assume they're getting spammed/phished/hacked?
2. The higher that percentage, the less effective the campaign. But the lower that percentage, the more effective would be a computer viruses that mimicked these "you've got an STD" notifications.
Somewhere in the middle is a perfect storm of disastrous consequence, where too many people open the fake ones AND not enough people open the real ones.
Wow. Guess I'm going to have to start opening those.
"And as the reach of the Internet expands for use in finding instant sex partners..."
Huh? Then why the hell have I been wasting all this time reading blogs?
Hell, Matt, you've got it! Using this system, after your encounter at the club has screwed you over by giving you a social disease, he/she can go that extra mile and give you a computer virus, too. AWESOME!
E-cards? Come on. Like my grandfather always said, if you have to say "I have VD", say it with a singing telegram. This one's sung to the tune of "Mr. Sandman":
Lovely lady, get yourself checked
You've had a hook-up that you might regret
When I got home I noticed a cold sore
I picked up herpes when I nailed that crack whore!
Hold on, don't you feign shock!
You and I both know you've been 'round the block
I know you're probably not pleased
But this ain't your only disease