Sex Partners Get STD Alerts by E-mail

Since 2004, 30,000 people have sent nearly 50,000 e-cards, the report said.

It's possible for people to use the messages to harass or frighten other people. There's no way to confirm that those who receive messages are actually in danger of infection. Still, there's little indication that people have abused the system, at least in San Francisco, Klausner said.

"I've probably gotten four e-mails from people who have been upset because they think they shouldn't have gotten this card, someone misused it," Klausner said. "They couldn't believe something this serious could so easily have the potential for misuse."

It's not clear if the notification service actually helps reduce sexually transmitted disease.

"The real test of this or any approach, including the traditional ones, is their effect on transmission," said Dr. Richard Rothenberg, a professor at Georgia State University's Institute of Public Health, who studies partner notification.

However, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to study the impact on health because the service is confidential, Rothenberg said. "I think we, and the authors, must be content with the idea that this appears to be an acceptable method to fulfill the moral imperative of notification, and it has a chance to be a better approach than what we currently do," he said.

More information

Here's more on the inSPOT service.

SOURCES: Jeffrey Klausner, M.D., director, STD prevention and control services, San Francisco Department of Health; Richard Rothenberg, M.D., MPH, professor, Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta; October 2008,PLoS Medicine