Venous Thromboembolism in Pregnancy and Childbirth

Is The Rising Trend Of Chlamydia Now An Achievement?

Chlamydia has strongly become a sensational name as far as public health is concerned. Its prevalence has been steadily rising since the year 2014. The most current statistical information that exists on chlamydial infection were computed from the year 2017 records.

What Makes Chlamydia Quite Common?

The only substantive reason for the easy spread of chlamydia is that it is without striking symptoms. That makes it spread from one person to another. Worst still, the required timing for its treatment is delayed by its symptomless nature, thereby making way for complications to arise. Most often, many sexually transmitted diseases are not easily discovered from their onset as infections. Before significant symptoms emerge, many STDs must have spread to affect vital parts of the body thereby causing more problems than expected.
Chlamydia also affects more women who are 25 years and younger. Older women with multiple sexual partners are also at a high risk of contracting the infection.

Where Is Chlamydia Common In The United States?

It is everywhere in the United States, ranging from Alabama to the District of Columbia. An estimated 1,800,000 cases of chlamydial infection were diagnosed in 2017 in the US, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is at its all-time high rate in 2017 with 528.8 cases per 100,000 in the population. In 2016, the rate of chlamydia was at 494.7 cases per 100,000 in the population.
Going into regions of the United States, the CDC indicated that chlamydial cases rose in all four regions namely Northeast, Midwest, West and South. States in the West have witnessed a steady increase in prevalence of chlamydia.

If chlamydial infection were an achievement, congratulations would have been in place for Alaska as the highest-ranking state in 2017, with cases of chlamydia at 799.8 per 100,000 population. This overshadowed West Virginia's 226.1 cases per 100,000 in population as reported by the CDC.
More women than men were reported to be infected with chlamydia in 2017. The number of infected women is about double the rate reported in men.

Teenagers and young adults in the United States presented with the highest age-specific number of chlamydial cases in 2017. Females aged 15-19 years and 20-24 years experienced the most prevalence of the infection with 3,265.7 cases per 100,000 population and 3,985.8 cases per 100,000 population respectively. Amongst males, the highest number of cases of chlamydia with respect to age was recorded for 20-24 year olds.

What Are The Common Symptoms Of Chlamydia?

One thing is certain: chlamydia as an infection, does not have ground-trembling manifestations. The symptoms can be mistaken for a hormonal change in the body or taken as “one of those things”. That is why scientific tests for chlamydia is advisable for anyone who is sexually active.

The common symptoms of chlamydia include:

• The abnormal coloration of the vaginal discharge

• A fishy or malodorous vaginal discharge

• Penile discharge (which does not occur during sexual foreplay or intercourse)

• A burning feeling in the genitals during urination

When these symptoms are noticed, confirm that it is chlamydia by undergoing a test. The above symptoms could be easily presented by infections other than chlamydia.

How Long Until Chlamydia Shows Symptoms?

It takes up to 3 weeks after infection for a person to notice the symptoms of chlamydia. However, there are cases whereby the symptoms do not show up until months later. In those who had reported not noticing any symptom, they had no reason to go for any medical checkup. This has made it very possible for chlamydia to spread from person to person and from place to place.

Is There Any Cure For Chlamydia?

Yes, there is a cure for chlamydia. It can be treated with antibiotics because it is a bacterial infection. Treatment is best without any organ or tissue damage in the infected person when it takes place at the early stage of the infection.
Treating chlamydia succeeds in testing for its presence in a person’s body. This can be done with the aid of a rapid test kit for chlamydia. The treatment is either with doxycycline or azithromycin. For best results, the dosage of antibiotics should be completely taken even as abstinence from every form of sexual intercourse is observed. The partner/s of an infected person should be tested and treated also.
As a rule, do not rely on contraceptives as a form of sexual protection. Using condoms during sex goes a long way in keeping a person protected from chlamydia infection. Nevertheless, routine screening tests for chlamydia are especially recommended for every sexually active woman, and for every man who has sex with men. Those are the most at-risk group of persons to chlamydia.

(Article was written for an STD rapid test kit website)