Canada: Online "Greeting Cards" Warn of Potential Sexual Infection

British Columbia is the second Canadian province to introduce inSPOT, an e-mail-based STD notification service.

The goal is for inSPOT to help reduce the number of STDs by encouraging people to seek treatment if they have contracted an infection, said Dr. Mark Gilbert, an epidemiologist with British Columbia's Center for Disease Control (BCCDC). The service is another tool people can use to notify their partners, he said.

inSPOT was introduced seven years ago in San Francisco, originally as an e-postcard service targeting the gay community. Its creators, a public health doctor and a sexual health educator, noticed that casual encounters arranged online were driving syphilis cases there.

A 2008 study showed that users find inSPOT easy and convenient. Participating men said they liked the fact the service is an anonymous way to inform partners of potential STD exposure. Few users sent the e-cards maliciously, the study said.

In addition to British Columbia, the service is offered in Ontario (in Ottawa and Toronto), according to Gilbert. Startup costs are about $20,000 (US $20,181) and ongoing costs will be around $2,000 (US $2,018) annually, he said.

In 2010, BCCDC reported 11,838 chlamydia cases, 1,321 gonorrhea cases, 155 syphilis cases, and 301 HIV cases.

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