Private MD News - Chlamydia

Home | News | Chlamydia

View Articles by Date

Year: 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Month: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Pregnant women with STD may be lacking treatment in ERs
Date: 2013-02-13 00:00:00

Women who are pregnant or are attempting to conceive have a lot on their minds. They're probably busy getting their homes ready for their new additions, trying to choose a name and looking at potential daycare or nannies. However, one thing that may not be a prominent concern is testing for sexually transmitted diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STDs such as such as genital herpes and bacterial vaginosis are surprisingly common in pregnant women. Furthermore, infections such as syphilis may be passed on to a baby and can cause serious side effects such as blindness. As such, women should look into STD testing services before they attempt to get pregnant, or early on their pregnancy.

Recently, researchers from Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine discovered that if women go to the emergency room with symptoms of an STD, they may not get the treatment they need, which is all the more reason for women to utilize STD testing before their pregnancy.

Difficult to tell... Full Story

STD rates continue to be an issue in the U.S.
Date: 2013-02-14 00:00:00

Sexually transmitted diseases can impact anyone who doesn't practice safer sex or abstinence, and they continue to grow in prevalence throughout the U.S., underscoring the need for STD testing services.

Recently, NBC News reported that researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released two new studies detailing the STD problem in the U.S. According to the news source, the scientists called this problem a "ongoing STD epidemic."

Startling results ... Full Story

Researchers discover natural protein that may help fight against STDs
Date: 2013-03-01 00:00:00

Currently, the only form of contraception that helps protect against sexually transmitted diseases is the condom, so people who forgo this prophylactic may want to use STD testing services often. However, according to a recent study, there may be soon be another tool in the fight against sexual infections. Researchers from the Monash Institute of Medical Research have discovered that there is a protein present in the female reproductive tract that may help prevent STDs like chlamydia and the herpes simplex virus.

While these are exciting findings that suggest there may be a natural STD-prevention system built into women's bodies, this shouldn't encourage people to go out and have sex without a condom.

An important protein ... Full Story

Individuals from poor neighborhoods may need a chlamydia test
Date: 2013-05-29 00:00:00

It's important for people to understand that no matter where they are from or what their financial situation may be, they are at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. However, people from certain areas may be in more need of STD testing services than others, since some parts of the U.S. tend to have a higher rate of these infections and viruses than others. For example, researchers from Ohio State University recently determined that individuals who grew up in poor areas - even if they were not poor themselves - may have a high risk of contracting an STD.

The scientists found that people who lived in a poor area as a teenager may have an increased risk of getting chlamydia in their 20s, compared to those from more affluent areas. This was regardless of whether the people grew up in poor households.

Problem lies in neighborhoods... Full Story

Increase in casual encounters, sexually transmitted diseases
Date: 2013-07-15 00:00:00

The rise in the availability of technology has made most things in life easier - including hooking up. According to CBS Sacramento, doctors are pointing to casual encounters enabled by online dating sites to a recent rise in sexually transmitted diseases.

"It's very alarming to us because we know there are some STDs that are curable, but there are other STDs that we can treat, but cannot cure," Paolo Cancio, an infectious disease specialist with the AIDS and STD prevention program CARES, told the news source

Cancio mentioned that while doctors are not sure what is causing the uptick, he has met with patients who hooked up with someone they met online and later required treatment for a sexually transmitted disease. CBS Sacramento noted that smartphone applications are enabling people to find people to hook up based on their neighborhood.

However, Cancio and his team have launched an app of their own - one to help smartphone users find free condom dispensers set up by CARES. The dispensers are conveniently located at nearby businesses, and the app, Condom Finder, provides users with the exact address.

STD increase reflected in US... Full Story

Herpes dating website spreads love, not disease
Date: 2013-07-23 00:00:00

Recently, Successful Match and Positive Singles launched Hmeet.com, a dating site for people living with the herpes simplex virus. The free service allows users to talk with and meet individuals who understand and share their condition. Hmeet.com provides herpes patients with the opportunity to date without having to bring up STD testing or their personal disease.

This is not the first dating website of its kind. According to USA Today, there are several online services to match up couples with the same, or similar, STDs. Positive Singles is one, which claims to have orchestrated 60,000 matches.

"A lot of my clients are looking for relationships and they are on dating websites like eHarmony and Match, but then the question is, 'When do I tell him or her that I have herpes? If I tell them right away, that person is going to go away. But if I let the relationship develop and wait to tell the person, is that betrayal?'" Carl Hindy, a clinical psychologist, told the news source.

Impact of STDs in America... Full Story

Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates rise in Montana
Date: 2013-07-29 00:00:00

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reported that rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea have risen in the state, though syphilis rates have remained stable, according to a local news source.

The Great Falls Tribute noted that chlamydia is currently an endemic in Montana, but while gonorrhea is on the rise, it only accounts for some of the newly diagnosed sexually transmitted diseases in the state. Trisha Gardner, a community health education specialist, said that STD outbreaks usually show regional trends. However, she stated that regardless of location, chlamydia is the most commonly seen STD due to how easily it is transmitted.

STD tests show that for every 100,000 Montana residents, 387 have chlamydia, according to the news source. In 2002, there were 271 cases of the disease for every 100,000 persons. Conversely, gonorrhea was at an all-time high in 2006, infecting .02 percent of the population. In 2012, .011 percent of Montana residents were diagnosed with gonorrhea.

Gardner noted that there are income-based disparities in the rate at which citizens are diagnosed with STDs. Though the source noted that the differences weren't based in sexual activity, but rather were the result of limited access to healthcare services for those of lower socioeconomic status.

STD testing and treatment... Full Story

STD tests show statewide rise in chlamydia, gonorrhea
Date: 2013-07-30 00:00:00

Those who live in California may want to get an STD test in the near future, as a local news source recently reported a statewide spike in the rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea.

According to The Sacramento Bee, the number of new chlamydia and gonorrhea cases rose from 2011 to 2012 most in three counties - Placer, El Dorado and Yolo. El Dorado county experienced a 50 percent rise in gonorrhea cases and a 20 percent increase in chlamydia during that time frame. From 2011 to 2012, Placer county saw an 8 percent increase in chlamydia and a 55 percent uptick in gonorrhea, and Yolo county saw increases of 15 and 90 percent for chlamydia and gonorrhea, respectively.

The news source noted that Sacramento country has higher rates of the two STDs than most, but actually saw a drop in the number of chlamydia cases in 2012. Across the state, chlamydia rates increased by 3 percent, while cases of gonorrhea rose by 23.

Health officials did not point to a single cause, but suggest that this is a sign that more people are engaging in unprotected sex than before.

Risk factors for gonorrhea and chlamydia... Full Story

Rising STD rates hit Texas
Date: 2013-08-01 00:00:00

STD testing has revealed an increase in gonorrhea and chlamydia cases in Texas' Lubbock county, according to a local news source. Local experts anticipate that these numbers will continue to rise through the year, reflecting the trends that have been seen in several states.

According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, the city of Lubbock ranks eighth in Texas for STD rates, and the county is 11th of 254 counties for STDs. One local healthcare expert noted that these numbers are comparable to what some states have for their overall statistics. However, the news source noted that while STD rates overall were on the rise, the number of newly diagnosed cases of AIDS and HIV dropped in 2013.

A Board of Health Review released in 2010 noted that cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia within Lubbock county were higher than the state average. The Lubbock Avalanche Journal noted that the county's health department has seen 21 cases of syphilis, 386 cases of gonorrhea and 907 cases of chlamydia from the beginning of 2013 through June. This is compared to the 14 cases of syphilis, 290 cases of gonorrhea and 850 cases of chlamydia that were reported from January to June of 2012

STD testing and prevention ... Full Story

Alaska sees fall in STD rates but doubt remains
Date: 2013-08-05 00:00:00

Alaska, a state that has had unusually high sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates compared to the rest of the U.S., is now seeing a decline in its new cases, though some officials are not sure that the dip will last. The new outbreaks are mainly focused in the rural areas of the state, according to STD tests.

STD outbreaks... Full Story

STD rates in Montana rise
Date: 2013-08-20 00:00:00

Lab tests revealed that rates of the sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia and gonorrhea have risen in Montana. Syphilis has remained at its current rate. Low-income youth are the most vulnerable to infections from these diseases, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

STDs and income... Full Story

Lubbock, Texas, reports higher STD rates
Date: 2013-08-26 00:00:00

Rates of reported sexually transmitted diseases in Lubbock, Texas, are currently higher than last year's, according to numbers from the city's heath department. So far in 2013, the rates of reported STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea have risen.

STDs... Full Story

STD testing could reduce nationwide rates
Date: 2013-08-30 00:00:00

Testing for common sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea could potentially lead to significantly lower rates of the diseases. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that rates of these STDs appear to be increasing, but experts say that the increasing numbers may be due to more thorough testing.

Rates... Full Story

Cumberland County STD rates surge
Date: 2013-09-04 00:00:00

Cumberland County, N.C., has experienced a huge surge in many of the most common sexually transmitted diseases this year. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and other STDs have become much more common than in the past decade, when there was a general decline. Officials blame a lack of STD testing for the spike.

Rising rates... Full Story

Illinois to increase sex education to fight STDs
Date: 2013-09-06 00:00:00

Illinois schools will include mandatory sex education in their curriculum this year in order to curb rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies among young people. The city has had some of the highest rates of STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea among people aged 15 to 19 in recent years and officials hope that more comprehensive education could reduce those rates.

Chicago youths... Full Story

Study links STDs during pregnancy with increased rate of complications
Date: 2013-09-08 00:00:00

A study has shown that women with sexually transmitted diseases before or during pregnancy may have higher rates for complications. The study found that women who had been infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea near or during their pregnancies were the most at risk.

Results of the study... Full Story

Increased screening may be reducing chlamydia rates
Date: 2013-09-18 00:00:00

The results of a new study show that chlamydia rates have fallen over time, but the infection remains common among young women. The presence of antibodies revealed that many young women had had the disease at some point, even while rates for the general population have fallen in recent years.

Rates of chlamydia among young women... Full Story

Adams County, Ill., experiences high rates of STDs
Date: 2013-10-15 00:00:00

Adams County, Ill., which includes the city of Quincy, has experienced a high rise in sexually transmitted disease rates. The county ranked 20th in the state for STD rates last year, so those living in the area may want to exercise caution and consider having STD tests to ensure their STD status.

High STD rates in Adams County... Full Story

Risky sexual behavior may be causing STD rates to increase in South Dakota
Date: 2013-10-22 00:00:00

Risky sexual behaviors among residents in South Dakota may be causing the rise of sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Experts caution South Dakota residents to be wary when engaging in sexual activity with people met online, a risk factor that area experts have linked to increasing STD rates.

Anonymous Internet hookups... Full Story

CDC estimates that one-third of Americans have STDs
Date: 2013-11-10 00:00:00

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new data estimating that one-third of Americans have sexually transmitted diseases or infections. The new data shows that people aged 15 to 24 are most likely to have the diseases, the most common of which is the human papillomavirus. The agency urged STD testing for all sexually active Americans, especially those who are most at risk for infection.

Rise in STDs... Full Story

New lab test can detect chlamydia in less than 20 minutes
Date: 2013-12-18 00:00:00

Researchers have developed a new qualitative and quantitative procedure for swift detection of chlamydia that can be easily carried out at the point of care during a patient's visit. Being able to rapidly identify one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases that affects humans is the result of successful lab tests and is a massive step forward in the treatment of STDs.

Published in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, the research was led by Ulo Langel, Ph.D., professor of molecular biotechnology at the University of Tartu in Estonia.

The procedure detects chlamydia directly from urine samples as opposed to the traditional method of purifying total DNA from samples, which is a far more tedious process. Because of this, the new method eliminates the necessity of specialized equipment, reducing the cost of chlamydia detection procedures and taking up less time. Its simplicity makes it applicable to various point-of-care environments, from private practices to large-scale hospitals.

Current techniques for testing the presence of chlamydia are only acceptable for hospital use with professionally trained staff and expensive machinery that small practices typically cannot afford. Some studies have also shown that half of patients who come in for exams do not return to receive results or adequate treatment. Even though numerous point-of-care lab tests have previously been established, none of them are as efficient as hospital exams. Analysis showed the reliability of the new procedure, with sensitivity at 83 percent and specificity of diagnosis at 100 percent.

"The alarmingly poor performance of the available POC tests for C. trachomatis has limited their wider use, and there is a clear requirement for more sensitive and cost-effective diagnostic platforms. Hence, the need for an applicable on-site test that offers reasonably sensitive detection," affirmed Langel.

Chlamydia in the US... Full Story