CHLAMYDIA, THE SILENT DISEASE
64 per cent of young women are using the morning after pill as their next defense against pregnancy after condoms.
It is plain to see that unprotected sex is still being practiced by some of us leaving room for sexually transmitted infections. Chlamydia is one of them.

Chlamydia is a bacterial STI that can damage a woman's reproductive organs by causing sterility in severe cases. In men, it causes discharge from the penis. It can affect any sexually active person. People with multiple sexual partners are at a greater risk of being infected.

Sexually active young female adults between the age of 15 and 25 are the most at risk of contracting this infection because the cervix is not fully matured at this age.
Chlamydia accompanies most sexually transmitted infections especially gonorrhea. Women infected with Chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with the HIV virus.

How common is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a very common STI here in many countries. It comes second to herpes simplex genitalia.
It is contracted during vaginal, anal and oral sex. Children born of infected mothers contract the disease during vaginal birth.

Signs and Symptoms

Its symptoms are usually mild or even absent, giving it the name the silent' disease. However if it presents itself, it has two main noticeable signs.
1. Genital ulcer disease in the vulva of an infected person
2. Abnormal vaginal discharge.
The other symptoms are pelvic pains, burning sensation when urinating, lower back pain, nausea, bleeding between menstrual periods and pain during intercourse.
These symptoms will usually appear 1-3 weeks after exposure to the bacteria.
The bacterium first affects the cervix and urethra. The infection then spreads to the fallopian tubes.

Its presentation in men comes in two ways
1. A discharge from the penis or
2. Burning sensation when urinating.

Chlamydia infection in the rectum comes as result of anal sex .The bacterium causes rectal pain, discharge or bleeding. Engaging in oral sex with an infected partner causes the bacterium to infect the throat.

Babies born to infected mothers through vaginal birth have their eyes and respiratory tracts infected with the bacterium causing early infant pneumonia and conjunctivitis.

Untreated Chlamydia spreads into the fallopian tubes causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that can cause permanent damage to the reproductive organ leading to infertility.
In pregnant women, untreated Chlamydia can cause ectopic pregnancy, and premature baby delivery.

Diagnosis
The diagnosis of this STI entails detailed culture tests that are performed on urine or specimen collected from the cervix and the penis. The machines for the tests are only available in research settings like research institutions.
Treatment
Chlamydia is treated using locally available antibiotics. They include doxycycline and azithromycin.

Prevention
Just like any STI, the sure way of preventing Chlamydia is abstinence. Proper use of condoms can also prevent contraction of the infection.

It is advisable for all young women who are sexually active to do annual screening for this infection. Abstinence from sex during treatment is also recommended to avoid re-infection.

Learn more about this author, Dennis Macharia.
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