The number of Chlamydia cases is up significantly in Sea to Sky Country - and local health professionals are going on the offensive.
Avoiding Chlamydia is relatively easy and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) wants to educate people on the Sunshine Coast and in the Sea to Sky Corridor on how to avoid the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the region.
A new campaign was launched this week and it will continue to Mar. 19.
Public Health Nurse Kristine Good is heading up the campaign from her office in Whistler.
The campaign is titled "Chlamydia Get Rid of 'Ya" and it is aimed at those most likely to carry the STI.
In the past five years, the number of cases doubled to 119 reported carriers in 2003. The VCHA reported that Chlamydia is most common in local people between the ages of 13 and 25.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection. According to Good, it can live undetected in 50 per cent of men and 80 percent of women with the bacteria.
"We are trying to get the message out there that Chlamydia does not usually have symptoms," said Good.
She noted that the bacteria can lead to serious infection. Left untreated, women can develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and that can lead to serious infection of the reproductive organs.
A common way the bacteria are detected in women is through annual examinations by a doctor. Through the campaign that is currently under way, Good is encouraging anyone who has ever had unprotected sex to get tested for the STI.
"It is the leading cause of infertility in women," Good said.
The bacteria can be just as serious for guys as untreated Chlamydia can lead to sterility in men."The rates have doubled in the last five years and that is why we are doing the campaign," Good said.
Family doctors can test for the bacteria and Good said a visit to the Safe Clinic in Squamish is the next best alternative to seeing a physician. The Safe Clinic is held every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the health unit located at 1140 Hunter Pl. behind the Squamish Station Mall.
"They can get testing and free treatment for Chlamydia," Good said of the Safe Clinic's program. Clinic visitors can also get birth control and free condoms.
"We want people to use condoms," Good said.
One other information option, Good said, is to contact the Options for Sexual Health Clinic (formerly known as Planned Parenthood).
For those who are already infected VCHA is encouraging those individuals to see a health care professional. The antibiotics used to treat Chlamydia are free for those who are infected. The VCHA is also urging infected individuals to notify all past sex partners that they too might be infected. For those who aren't comfortable with the idea of calling past partners to pass on the unpleasant news, a public health nurse will help with the task.
