In its first set of recommendations, the third U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care clinicians screen all sexually active women ages 25 and younger, as well as older women at risk for chlamydia, as part of regular health care visits.
This audio news release on the USPSTF's chlamydia recommendations contains a quote from Dr. Janet Allen, Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (in English), and a quote from Dr. Eduardo Ortiz, M.D., M.P.H., a Senior Service Fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (in Spanish).
NARRATOR: If you're a woman age 25 or younger and sexually active, you may be at risk for developing chlamydia, a serious sexually-transmitted infection. You're particularly at risk if you have ever had more than one sex partner, do not use condoms correctly and consistently, and have had a sexually-transmitted disease in the past. In fact, 1 in 10 teenage girls tested for chlamydia is infected. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued new recommendations to help doctors detect this "silent disease" early, before it causes serious health problems. Janet Allan, a nurse and vice-chair of the Task Force:
JANET ALLAN: Most people infected with chlamydia have no symptoms. Chlamydia is a serious disease that can lead to infertility and other health problems, particularly among sexually active young women. And if you're pregnant, chlamydia can make you and your baby sick. The good news is that chlamydia can be cured easily and cheaply, but first you have to know you have it.
NARRATOR: If you are sexually active and 25 or younger you owe it to yourself to be screened. Talk to your doctor about chlamydia. The greatest risk to you is not knowing. For more information, call 1-800-342-2437.
Current as of September 2001
Internet Citation:
Chlamydia Recommendations. Audio news release transcript. September 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2001/chlmeng.htm
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