U.S. News Chlamydia: The Most Common STD You've Never Heard OfSeptember 8, 2005 Infecting some 3 million patients each year, chlamydia is the most commonly reported bacterial STD in the United States. Though it can easily be cured with antibiotics, chlamydia often goes undetected because many people do not have symptoms of the infection. In 2004 in Kentucky, 6,470 chlamydia cases were reported, compared with 7,981 in 2003. However, the state has already recorded 5,887 cases to date this year, and the projected number of cases for 2005 is 7,900 or more, according to the Kentucky Health and Family Services Cabinet. In the Louisville area, the Metro Health Department reported 1,758 cases in 2004, down from 2,084 cases in 2003. Dr. Marilyn A. Maxwell, professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at St. Louis University, said awareness of chlamydia varies. "More and more people, particularly young people in their sex-education classes, are learning about it, but it is surprising how many people aren't familiar with chlamydia," said Maxwell. "You may have it, you may pass it on and not know that you have it." Teenage girls are at increased risk for chlamydia and other STDs "just because of the way they're made," explained Maxwell. "The cervix has a lining of cells that changes position as they get older, so a 15-year-old or a 16-year-old exposed to chlamydia is much more likely to get it than a 26- or 36- or 46-year-old woman," she said. Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) 09.01.2005; Darla Carter This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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