Take test, young people are urged
Feb 2 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal
YOUNG people in Gateshead are being urged to take a chlamydia test as part of a national screening programme to help stem the growth of the infection.
Gateshead Council is targeting 14 to 25 year olds to take the test with a rolling programme of events at colleges, sixth forms, training schemes and other youth organisations.
The campaign will not enter schools but if young people aged 14 or over are sexually active, they could contact the council for a test.
The test kits are provided free of charge to help increase the rate of early detection in the under-25 age group.
Coun Catherine Donovan, cabinet member for children and young people at Gateshead Council, said: “Unfortunately, chlamydia is now very common and can affect as many as one in 10 people. Most people who do have it don’t actually know they are ill, so it’s vital that we get more people tested.
“We really want to encourage young people to have the test because if it is left untreated it can have a range of horrible symptoms and, in extreme cases, has been known to cause infertility.”
To reduce further transmission of the disease, a large proportion of the Gateshead population will need to be screened by taking a simple urine test and sending it off for analysis.
The national campaign was established with the objective of controlling chlamydia in under-25s through the early detection and treatment of what is the most common sexually transmitted infection.
