Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease and is most prevalent among sexually active adolescents and young adults. (1) Chlamydia is particularly dangerous because it is often asymptomatic in women and can only be identified through screening. (2) Chlamydia infections can often lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which in turn can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. (3)
What percentage of women have chlamydia?
The Report Card benchmark is the Healthy People 2010 goal of a reported chlamydia prevalence of three percent or less among women ages 15-24 tested at family planning clinics [Healthy People 2010 Objective 25-1a].
Data Source: Chlamydia (%), 2005
EXPLANATION:
This measure includes females ages 15-24 testing positive for chlamydia in family planning clinics. Data were obtained through routine screening of women at family planning clinics. The percentage of women testing positive was calculated by dividing the number of women testing positive for chlamydia by the total number of women tested for chlamydia. Not all states use the same tests, and test sensitivity varies. The denominator may contain multiple tests from the same individual if that person was tested more than once during a year. States reported chlamydia positivity data on at least 500 women ages 15-24 screened during 2005.
SOURCE:
Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Prevention, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2005 Supplement: Chlamydia Prevalence Monitoring Project Annual Report 2005 (Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006), Figure 5, 6. The national number is the median of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.