Chlamydia testing rates

CDC’s most recent report on STD stats in the U.S. is a good news/bad news scenario.

Good because the percentage of young women being screened for chlamydia increased from 25% to 47% between 2000 and 2009. Bad in a sense, though, because all sexually active young women (those under age 26) should be tested for chlamydia each year, and we’re obviously missing more than half of them. CDC also estimates that only about half of the 3 million cases of chlamydia that occur in the U.S. each year actually are reported.

Why the push for testing? Young women have higher rates of chlamydia than any other group, yet are likely to have few if any symptoms. The only reliable way to know is to get tested!

CDC - Trends 2009 - Table