Less Than Half Of U.S. Women At Risk For Chlamydia Receive Screening, CDC Reports

Less than half of the women in the U.S. who are at risk for chlamydia are being screened for the sexually transmitted infection, which is the most common STI in the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters reports. For the report, CDC researcher Karen Hoover and colleagues examined public and private health plan records representing more than 40% of the U.S. population. They found that screening rates increased from 25.3% in 2000 to 43.6% in 2006, then decreased slightly in 2007 to 41.6%. Despite the increase, the researchers said that far too few women are being screened for the disease, which often produces few symptoms and can lead to infertility if untreated. About 1.1 million cases of chlamydia were reported to CDC in 2007, of which more than 50% were in women ages 15 to 25, and it is estimated that more than 2.8 million new cases occur annually, the report said.

CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women ages 25 and younger, women older than 25 who have had multiple sex partners or a new partner, and all pregnant women. Unless treated with antibiotics, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, chronic pain and ectopic pregnancy, Reuters reports. The infection affects both women and men, and untreated partners can re-infect each other. Chlamydia can also cause sterility in men in rare cases (Fox, Reuters, 4/16).


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