More men who live in rural and regional Australia contract chlamydia than previously thought and most cases of infection have no symptoms.
Researchers found 5.2% of rural men had chlamydia, while previous studies of men from urban areas found the prevalence to be 3.7%. The prevalence of chlamydia in women was 4.4%.
Among men, the chlamydia rate was highest in 20- to 24-year-olds (6.6%) and in women it was highest in 16- to 19-year-olds (8%). Of those diagnosed with chlamydia, 73% had no symptoms of infection.
The participants in the study were 16- to 29-year-olds who visited rural and regional doctors’ clinics. The researchers recommend doctors encourage all young patients to be tested for chlamydia.
Read more at The University of Melbourne