Chlamydia Infection - The Most Commonly Reported Sexually Transmitted Infection In Europe - ECDC Issues Chlamydia Control Guidance

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 02 Jul 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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In the coming summer months it is estimated that 200,000 young people in Europe will become infected with Chlamydia and most of them won't know that they are infected. Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in Europe, continues to increase in many countries. It affects mostly young adults under 25. The true occurrence of Chlamydia is most likely much higher than the official figures because the majority of the infected do not have clinical symptoms. Surveys in European countries have shown an estimated population prevalence of 5 to 10 % in young people.

Speaking today, ECDC's Director Zsuzsanna Jakab said, "Chlamydia infection can severely affect the fertility of young women and their possibility to have children. Given the high levels of infection being reported across the EU, and the likelihood that many cases are being left undetected, this could impact significantly on public health in the future. That it why ECDC is today publishing new Guidance on Chlamydia control. We hope it will help EU countries further reinforce their systems for diagnosis and management of this disease."

ECDC's Guidance on Chlamydia control in Europe is based on a study of Chlamydia control activities in 29 European countries. This systematic survey found wide variation in the organisation of Chlamydia control. Almost half of the countries reported no organised activity, national control programmes were only identified in two countries.

The ECDC guidance includes different options for Chlamydia control in a stepwise approach to ensure that prevention and patient management are in place before complex interventions such as screening are considered.

A: Primary prevention: health promotion and education, school programmes, condom distribution;

B: Case management:, diagnostics, patient and partner management, routine case surveillance;

C: Opportunistic testing: testing routinely offered to specified group(s) of people attending clinical services;

D: Screening programme: organised provision of chlamydia testing to a substantial proportion of a defined population.

Effective resourcing and implementation of national chlamydia control programmes require leadership and commitment from healthcare policy makers.

Chlamydia is a significant public health problem because untreated Chlamydia may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, and poor reproductive outcomes in some women. The cost of treating subfertility due to chlamydia is high as it requires tubal surgery and in-vitro fertilisation. Although simple and effective treatment with antibiotics is available, control of chlamydia is challenging as the majority of infected people remains without clinical symptoms.

Source
ECDC