Breaking up over e-mail is a social no-no.

But sending an e-card telling someone to get tested for STDs may be a public health courtesy.

Since 2004, a free Web site, inSpot.org has allowed users to anonymously notify their partners to get tested for STDs such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.

“It’s not like you get a card and it’s, ‘Oh no, it’s a dead end,’” said Deb Levine, executive director of Internet Sexuality Information Services, a nonprofit organization. “The card leads you to regularly updated information about what you may have been exposed to.”

The health department promoted syphilis testing in the chat room through screen names and e-mails. Five years later, Internet Sexuality Information Services and the health department assembled a focus group of gay men to discuss partner notification. They found that most men told their primary partners about an STD diagnosis, “but despite good intentions, they did not tell their casual partners,” according to their report.

Their inspiration for the STD cards came from evites, an electronic invitation for parties and events. The inSPOT.org cards started with a focus on gay men, but have expanded to all sexually active people. Levine said they’d like to conduct further research to gauge the effectiveness of the e-cards.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/21/std.e-cards/index.html.