Screening may be used to combat chlamydia

LEADING health researchers have been appointed to examine all options — including a National Screening Programme — to combat the massive rise in the number of young people contracting chlamydia.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has been awarded a two-year €500,000 contract by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to examine the best options for more widespread testing for the infection which accounts for one third of all sexually transmitted infections.

The size of the problem is evidenced by the 19.6% rise in the number of detected cases of chlamydia to 3,353 cases. That does not include the likely thousands who are unaware they have contracted the silent disease which can lead to infertility and even death in some cases.