Health officials urge Georgia women to get tested for STDs

 

Georgia Public Health Officials are working to get all sexually active women under the age of 25 to visit sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing centers in Atlanta to make sure that they are not infected with chlamydia. WALB, a Georgia news source, spoke to healthcare practitioners in the area about this STD, and why it is so important for young women to protect themselves and get screened regularly.

If left untreated, chlamydia may result in irreversible damage to the reproductive system. According to Brooks County Nurse Manager Norma Johnson, untreated chlamydia can turn into pelvic inflammatory disease, which may render a woman incapable of having children.

Furthermore, Johnson said that 50 percent of the mothers who have untreated chlamydia can pass it on to their babies, which can cause severe eye infection or pneumonia in infants. This is why it is so important for women to get an STD screening before they get pregnant.

Luckily, the infection can easily be treated.

"One of the problems with chlamydia is it is [often] undetected and [many] women do not have symptoms. It's a fairly simple antibiotic treatment and that should get rid of it. The important thing is they also need to have their partner treated, " said Johnson, quoted by the news source.

According to the 2008 Georgia Epidemiology Report, approximately 65,000 new STD infections are reported in the state each year. Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are responsible for the majority of these cases. This statistic highlights the need for more initiatives that encourage young people to visit STD testing centers in Atlanta and practice safer sex every time they engage in sexual activity.