Australia: "Silent Infection" a New Sex Threat

Young sexually active women in Melbourne are more than five times more likely to have chlamydia than older women, a study has found. A Family Planning Victoria study carried out in 2001 involving more than 1,300 women at clinics in the city and Box Hill found more than 6 percent of those under age 25 at the city clinic had chlamydia. In women age 25 and over at the same clinic, the figure was 1.2 percent. FPV Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hennie Williams said the presence of chlamydia in young women at the clinic was "significantly higher" than expected. The number of chlamydia diagnoses in Victoria has been steadily increasing in past years, particularly in people ages 20 to 29. According to the Department of Human Services, there were 2,059 new cases in 1997, yet in 2001 this figure had risen to almost 4,000. Williams said the study also showed a possible link between socioeconomic status and risk of infection. The infection rate for more affluent patients under 25 at the Box Hill clinic was 1.8 percent, compared to the 6 percent figure for less affluent patients in the same age group in the city.

Back to other CDC news for March 4, 2003

Previous Updates | Search the CDC archive