News Journal (Wilmington) (03.30.2009) - Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Katie Rogers
Despite improved education and testing efforts among teenagers and young adults, chlamydia infections in this population are up 40 percent this year from the same period in 2008. Males and females ages 15-24 logged 609 chlamydia cases in the first nine weeks of 2009, compared with 460 during the same period last year.
Cathy Mosley, STD program administrator for the Delaware Division of Public Health, said females in this age group are more likely to get tested for chlamydia, while infections in males tend to go undetected.
"Teenage boys are reluctant to go to the doctor unless they are having symptoms," said Mosley. "A lot of the time, chlamydia is asymptomatic, so they won't feel anything at all. Many boys also feel that if their girlfriend goes in and gets tested and treated, then they are OK, but that is not the case." Thus, the disease continues to spread.
Teenage girls often are re-infected with chlamydia, said Mosely. Across the state, it is not uncommon for teens to get the bacterial STD multiple times per year. Cases among females are more commonly reported during yearly gynecological exams, she said.
Students can get tested for STDs at college and high school wellness centers throughout Delaware. Gloria Shuba, nurse practitioner at Caesar Rodney High School, said that when students are tested at her center, she encourages them to notify their partners if they are infected. "There has been a good effort with the students here to tell their partners if they have gotten it," she noted.
According to Mosely, Delaware's increase in chlamydia mirrors a trend nationwide. "I think the entire nation is scratching their heads right now as to why this is really happening," she said.
