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(U-WIRE) LONG BEACH, Calif. -- With an estimated 2.8 million Americans infected with chlamydia each year, the disease has now become the most common sexually transmitted disease among women and college students.
Women aged 25 and younger are most vulnerable to contracting chlamydia. This could be for two reasons, either the woman's partner may have not been appropriately treated, or if a woman's partner was never treated at all.
Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trach-omatis, and can be transmitted during vaginal, anal or oral sex.
Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because about three-quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within one to three weeks of exposure.
Common symptoms are burning during urination and abnormal discharges. Because chlamydia is a bacterial infection, this means that it can easily be treated and cured with antibiotics.
If chlamydia is left untreated, serious complications in women can occur. The infection can spread into the uterus or Fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause permanent damage to the Fallopian tubes, uterus and surrounding tissues.
This damage can then lead to chronic pelvic pain and infertility.
Women who have been infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV if they are exposed to it. Although complications in women are more common, men may also experience complications from the infection.
In men, the infection may spread to the epididymis (a tube that carries sperm from the testes), causing pain, fever and sterility.
There are ways to prevent this common STD.
"The most efficient way to prevent chlamydia is to abstain from sexual intercourse," said Health Education Assistant Heidi Burkey. "Other options are latex male condoms, getting tested regularly, having a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested, and also telling your partner to get treated if you are infected."
Burkey said people with chlamydia should also abstain from sexual intercourse until they and their partners have completed treatment to avoid re-infection.
Another way to protect against STDs is to inform yourself even further on the topic. Cal State-Long Beach offers a Sexual Health Awareness Workshop every Monday and Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information regarding the workshop, visit the school Web site at www.csulb.edu/hrc.
(C) 2006 Daily Forty-Niner via U-WIRE
