Published 1 July 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2687
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b2687

News

European countries are urged to develop national policies to control chlamydia

Jo Waters

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

New guidance issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) urges countries to adopt national strategies for tackling the rising incidence of chlamydia infection.

Less than half of 29 countries currently have any national guidelines for controlling chlamydia, research by the centre shows, despite it being the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infection in Europe.

The number of confirmed cases of chlamydia infection reported by 22 European countries was 253 386 in 2007, and the overall prevalence was 122.6 cases per 100 000 population, although the true prevalence is thought to be much higher, as many infected people have no symptoms. For example, in England the national screening programme reported a prevalence of 10% in sexually active people aged under 25 in 2005-6.

An estimated 200 000 young people in Europe will become infected with chlamydia in the coming summer months, the centre says.

If left untreated, . . . [Full text of this article]


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