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CHLAMYDIA

PREVALENCE:

Chlamydia is the most common STD in the United States. There are between 3 and 5 million new cases each year. It is caused by a bacteria.

TRANSMISSION:

Chlamydia is transmitted from person to person through vaginal, anal or oral sex. Ejaculation is not needed for the disease to be passed between partners. Babies can get chlamydia in their eyes and throats at birth if the mother is infected at the time of birth. It cannot be spread by kissing, toilet seats, bedding, door knobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, shared clothing or eating utensils.

INCUBATION:

The organism multiplies slowly. It takes over a day to reproduce. For this reason symptoms are slow to come on. It may take a man two weeks or more before he notices any symptoms in his penis. Women rarely get early symptoms. The disease can be passed even if there are no signs or symptoms. This is why chlamydia is so common.

SYMPTOMS:

Tests have shown that 25% of men and 80% of women with chlamydia have no symptoms. It may cause burning during urination and/or a runny whitish discharge. Sometimes swelling of the testicles is the first sign in men. If the rectum is infected, it will become inflamed. The symptoms of a throat infection are a dry, sore throat.

If the infection is not treated it can spread in the body and do damage. If the infection reaches the testicles, it can produce scar tissue that blocks the sperm ducts causing sterility. Men may or may not have symptoms that this is happening. In women, chlamydia can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, producing a condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This can cause fever, stomach cramps, nausea, backache and painful intercourse. Some women have no symptoms of PID. The tubes can become fully or partially blocked by scar tissue. This can cause sterility or increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. The bacteria can also escape out the open ends of the tubes and infect the covering of the internal organs.

A baby born to an infected mother runs the risk of developing an eye infection and sometimes pneumonia. The problems would start from several days to several weeks after birth.

TREATMENT:

Since chlamydia is caused by a bacteria, it is easily treated with antibiotics. A one dose treatment with Zithromax is the most common regimen. Make sure all sexual partners are treated as well. Sex should be avoided for 7 days following treatment otherwise re-infection could occur.

RECURRENCE:

Having had chlamydia does not protect a person from getting it again. If a person took the medication correctly and is diagnosed with chlamydia again, it is likely that he or she has caught it again.

PREVENTION:

Two uninfected people with no sex partners besides each other cannot contract chlamydia. If a person has more than one partner, a latex condom is a good defense if it is put on before starting sex and worn until the penis is withdrawn. There are no methods to detect an infection except through an exam and lab tests done by a health care worker. Washing the genitals, urinating, or douching after sex DOES NOT prevent the disease.