Sexually Transmitted Diseases  >  Tracking the Hidden Epidemics 2000 (1999 data)

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A Closer Look at Chlamydia

Chlamydia is widespread among the sexually active population, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or gender. It is more concentrated among adolescents than any other STD with the highest rates seen among female adolescents. Data on male adolescents also reveal an alarming level of infection.

BY GENDER AND AGE

Forty percent of chlamydia cases are reported among young people, 15 to 19 years old. Reported prevalence among sexually active women is consistently more than five percent, with prevalence among teenage girls often exceeding 10 percent more than one in 10. And while the data are more limited for men, studies of adolescent males tested in high schools and other settings have found prevalence of more than five percent (Cohen, 1998; Ku, 1997). Recent studies and screening programs in multiple settings throughout the country come to the same conclusion: chlamydia continues to exact a devastating toll among our nation's young people.

• In 1999, nearly 10 percent (9.9 percent) of 17- to 37-year-old women screened for STDs during their induction into the Army tested positive for chlamydia (DSTDP, CDC, 2000).
• In 1999, 7.2 percent of 15- to 24-year-old females screened in selected prenatal clinics in 22 states were positive for chlamydia (DSTDP, CDC, 2000).
• In 1999, of adolescent women entering juvenile detention facilities where chlamydia screening was routine, 13 percent tested positive for chlamydia (DSTDP, CDC, 2000).
• A 1999 school-based screening program among high school students-ninth to twelfth grade in New Orleans found that nearly 12 percent of girls and six percent of boys were infected with chlamydia (Cohen, 1999).
• A 1994 household sample of young men 18 to 19 years of age in three Maryland counties found that six percent were infected with chlamydia (Ku, 1996).
• An innovative program in Denver screened high-risk youth in the field-parking lots, parks, and homes-and in non-clinical settings-high schools, recreation centers. The study found a high prevalence of chlamydia among young men-12 percent-screened in the field, compared to young men screened in the facilities 4.4 percent. The study suggests that the prevalence of chlamydia may be much higher among high-risk youth, who are not likely to access STD treatment in traditional health care settings (Rietmeijer, 1997).

BY RACE/ETHNICITY

Chlamydia is common among all races and ethnic groups, but prevalence is somewhat higher among racial and ethnic minorities, most likely due to the lack of access to screening and treatment programs.

• Data from a pilot household survey of prevalence in ten U.S. counties suggests that chlamydia is widespread. And while prevalence was higher among young minority women, high levels of chlamydia were detected among all adolescents (Mertz, 1999).
• The prevalence of chlamydia was higher in women than in men among African Americans (seven percent vs. six percent), Mexican Americans (five percent versus two percent), and whites (two percent versus one percent).
• Among male and female teens, 15 to 19 years old, prevalence was approximately 12 percent for African Americans, six percent for Mexican Americans, and nearly four percent for whites.

BY REGION

Chlamydia prevalence remains higher in areas without longstanding screening and treatment programs. The highest rates are reported in the southern states. In 1999, seven out of the 10 states with the highest rates were located in the southern region of the United States. If the level of screening and treatment continues to increase, the disease will most likely decline in women across the nation.

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