TACOMA—
Facebook is a popular website for updates on your friends, but imagine getting a health update about your body.
A Spokane teenager, recently diagnosed with an STD, learned there might be a problem with her health through a Facebook message from the Spokane Health District.
The 16-year-old’s mother said "she's very upset, she feels violated." The woman did not want her daughter's name reported to protect her identity.
The teen's mother said the message asked the girl to contact the Health Department.
"It was really important that she contact them about something that was going on with her own health," her mother said.
The girl's mom worries someone could have seen it and put two-and-two together.
"I feel that if someone got ahold of her password and got in, it's going to float around," she said.
A growing number of public health departments are using social media to connect with people when traditional methods don't work.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Director Dr. Anthony Chen said they are very careful to protect someone's privacy.
"We do not come out and say, 'You've got a sexually transmitted disease.' We're very discreet about it," Chen explained.
While medical professionals respect patients privacy, they also must try to stop the spread of diseases. Pierce County has the highest rate of chlamydia infection in Washington state.
"Our job is to detect it and get people treated and contact people who might not know they have the disease," Chen said. Chen also said some STDs show no symptoms and can be treated very easily.
"Our job is to protect the public's health and stop the spread of these diseases," he said.
The Spokane mother still believes there are better ways to notify people.
"It's not illegal, but I think it needs to change," she said.
