You've Got Mail!

In an effort to reach more people who have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, the Chicago Public Health Department is encouraging the use of electronic "postcards" to spread the word.

The online service, InSpot, allows Chicagoans with STDs, including HIV/AIDS, to avoid the awkward conversations with sexual partners they may have infected. They can send anonymous e-mail messages instead.

"This is an Internet tool . . . for persons who may not have any other way of contacting their partner or who may be hesitant to share their STD diagnosis," said Dr. Will Wong, medical director of the health department's STD/HIV/AIDS division.

"There's something I need to tell you," reads one e-card

The city has been using InSpot since 2006, and about 5,500 e-cards have been sent to more than 6,000 people, according to the Internet Sexuality Information Services, a California non-profit that set up the Web portal for the city.

About 3,500 notifications were sent last year, said Wong, but he still hopes to increase awareness of the service. There were more than 21,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in Chicago in 2006, according to the most recent data available from the Chicago Department of Public Health.

There are no clear indicators of how effective the service is, though Wong said there have been reports of people showing up at the city's five STD clinics with a printout of their e-mail.

Deb Levine, executive director of the California group, said about 50 percent of those who receive e-cards click links to information about testing and other resources.

Chicago is one of 11 cities in 10 states that use the service, Levine said.

Residents who receive an e-mail from InSpot may be concerned that it is unwanted spam, but the site continuously adjusts the e-card's subject line to stay ahead of spam filters.

Courtesy Chicago Tribune