'Sorry About the Syphilis'

Talk about a gift that keeps on, uh, giving. The next time you hookup online you might want to keep an eye on your in-box for a follow-up message from your fellow Manhunter, only it might not be a thank-you card or an invite for a repeat visit. It might be an STD e-card:

The New York Times reports:

The Internet has made it much easier to connect for sexual hookups. In response, public health officials have been exploring ways to harness the online world for conducting safe-sex education and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases by alerting people exposed to them.

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. Along with eight other cities and three states, New York City has been working with inSPOT, the online partner notification system. (It is currently aimed at gay men but is expanding its audience to include heterosexuals, and plans to start a national site this year.)

Research indicated that men with a sexually transmitted disease often failed to tell their casual sexual contacts about it. “They did tell their partners, the people they saw every day, but they didn’t take the time to follow up with other people they were having sex with,” said Deb Levine executive director of the Internet Sexuality Information Services. “They said to us, ‘If there was an easy and convenient way to do it, we would.’”

I mean honestly, WHO does have time for that, anyway?