11:20am Tuesday 7th October 2008
By Emma Cruces
THOUSANDS of young people in East Lancashire will be targeted for chlamydia screenings.
More than 9,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24 in Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale and Ribble Valley are being targeted to see if they are infected with the often-hidden sexually transmitted disease.
The ambitious screening plan has been announced by the area’s community health provider NHS East Lancashire in a bid to contain the spread of the infection.
Last year, the trust and its partner organisations managed to screen more than 3,000 young people as part of the increased effort to deal with the problem of chlamydia.
According to leaders of East Lancashire’s b-sure sexual health campaign, one in 10 young people have the infection, which can go undetected and can therefore do long-term harm unless treated.
If untreated, it can progress to cause serious reproductive and other health problems, with both short-term and long-term consequences.
Now, local public health professionals have set an ambitious target of reaching 17 per cent of the targeted age group, with the aim of increasing this percentage year on year.
More than a 100 locations are being used for the free screening sessions throughout East Lancashire, including all of b-sure’s contraceptive and sexual health clinics, Brook Centres, 14 GP surgeries, 29 of the area’s pharmacies and at all step-in service outlets..
In addition, students are being targeted with poster campaigns at Burnley College, Accrington and Rossendale College and Nelson and Colne College, Haslingden Sixth Form and Fearns School in the Rossendale Valley.
Kelly Taylor, a public health commissioning manager with NHS East Lancashire, said: “It is vitally important that young people come forward to have the quick and easy test for chlamydia. They owe it to themselves.
“The screening consists of a simple urine test, and if positive, the infection is quickly and easily treated with antibiotics.
"The test is available free and confidentially.
Last year nine chlamydia clinics for under 25s were set up in a bid to tackle the explosion in cases of the disease.
This came after cases of chlamydia rocketed sixfold among East Lancashire teenagers aged 16 to 19 during the previous decade.
Teenage girls in this age range were the worst affected, outranking the boys by more than three times.
It had also increased fivefold in those aged 20 to 24.
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