The U.S. Public Health Service · Episode 29 of 34 · 45 min
Chlamydia: The Silent Epidemic
Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infection in America, with well over a million and a half cases a year, and most cause no symptoms. Untreated, it quietly scars the reproductive tract. The cure was never the problem; finding it was, until 1990s nucleic-acid tests allowed detection from a urine sample and made mass screening of young women possible.
Timeline
- 1980s-1990sRecognition grows that chlamydia is a major hidden cause of pelvic infection and infertility
- 1990sNucleic-acid amplification tests allow diagnosis from urine
- 1990s-2000sFederally supported screening programs expand testing for young women
- 2023About 1.65 million reported cases
Still debated
Estimates of the symptomless share vary by study, and some rise in reported cases reflects better testing rather than more infection. Routine screening of young men is less clearly established than for women.