 |
||
|
||
What is Chlamydia? Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia is the most frequently reported communicable disease in the United States and may be one of the most dangerous sexually transmitted diseases among women today. Approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms. Therefore, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and may not seek healthcare. As a result, the number of reported cases, about 660,000 in 1999, is a gross underestimate. The CDC estimates that 3 million people are newly infected with Chlamydia each year in the United States (Tracking the Hidden Epidemics: Trends in STDs in the United States 2000, CDC). Most of these infections are common in sexually active adolescents and young adults. Teenage girls have the highest rates of chlamydia infection. It is estimated that 1 in 10 adolescent girls tested for chlamydia is infected. Forty percent of cases are among people 15-19 years old (Tracking the Hidden Epidemics: Trends in STDs in the United States 2000, CDC). Up to 40% of women with untreated chlamydia will develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Of those with PID, 20% will become infertile; 18% will experience debilitating, chronic pain; and 9% will have a life-threatening tubal pregnancy. When diagnosed, chlamydia can be easily treated and cured. Untreated, chlamydia can cause severe, costly reproductive and other health problems that include both short- and long-term consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is the critical link to infertility, and potentially fatal tubal pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy).
|
||
| Listen Up! Chlamydia Education
Brochure Brochure developed by the Region I Chlamydia Advisory Board: See Links section for more youth-oriented chlamydia education links!
For information on Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases, see: See Publications and Links sections for more STD-related information! |
||
Treatment Information Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Lab Guidelines: 2002 CDC Lab Guidelines
For more information, see CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: www.cdc.gov/mmwr
STD Treatment Guidelines: 2006 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines
For more information, see CDC's website: http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/
The State of Health Care Quality 2002
See Publications and Links sections for more STD-related information! |
||
|
||
|
