13-15). Individuals who come to women's or STD clinics may not be representative of the population, and may be more likely to manifest prevalence of the ailment or not to manifest prevalence because of more frequent testing.
Secondly, an additional variable is that of the region-specific nature of the screening. In some regions, federally funded Chlamydia screening supplements local- and state-funded screening programs. This may make the screening more comprehensive in nature in some areas of the country than others, as in some regions there may be additional funding from local and regional as well as federal sources. The different levels of regional scrutiny may also affect the tracking of the disease, as in some regions awareness about STDs is more highly promoted in schools and in the media than other regions, which can result in higher levels of traffic at STD clinics as well as theoretically greater levels of precautions on the part of citizens. This should act as a caution that the apparent predominance of diseases in certain areas of the country may reflect a willingness upon the part of states and local authorities to devote more resources to tracking STDs.
The fact that more women are likely to be diagnosed than men is another admitted problem with the collection of such data sources. The lower reported rate of Chlamydia infection among men does not necessarily mean that the levels accurately reflect the levels of disease in the population of these individuals. In fact, they may reflect lower rates of testing among this group and also lower rates of testing amongst men in general for a variety of communicable health problems. Both women and men with Chlamydia infection may be asymptomatic until the disease is in its more advanced stages, and early detection is important...
Because women are more apt to experience pelvic inflammatory pain and infertility as a result of contracting Chlamydia, physicians may be more vigilant in their scrutiny amongst females, although, to state the obvious, women contract the illness from men, and thus screening both sexes is an integral part of disease control. Yet even for males at high risk, rates of screening for Chlamydia are limited. Men who have sexual relations with other men are obviously more at risk because of the physical nature of intercourse, but it should also be added that they may be more apt to get STD screening, because of the high level of AIDS awareness in this population. Heterosexual males may simply think themselves immune from the risk of STDs, even if they engage in intercourse with multiple partners.
Finally, the age-related figures, however alarming, may also be conservative because such a large number of those affected appear to be young -- if young people are more likely to get STDs (because of a lack of precautions and more varied sexual partners) young people may be more apt to shun screening, despite their greater risk of contracting the illness, because of fear of their parents discovering their complaint. They may not know the risk of the illness, the risk the illness may pose to their health and fertility, and may have difficulty accessing clinics.
Works Cited
Health departments react with alarm to new CDC surveillance data. (22 Jan 2009). Medical
News Today. Retrieved January 31, 2009 at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136289.php
STD surveillance report. (2009). Center for Disease Control. Retrieved January 31, 2009 at http://www.cdc.gov/std/Chlamydia2006/CTSurvSupp2006Short.pdf
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