Sexually Transmitted Infections and their complications belong to the top five diseases categories for which the adults seek health care in developing countries according to World Health Organization.
STIs are foremost worldwide root of acute disease, infertility, enduring disability, and death, with relentless psychological and medical penalty for many women, men, and children.
Unlike HIV, many STIs can be treated and cured relatively, easily, and cheaply if diagnosed early enough.
From among the sexually transmitted infections, the most common treatable STIs are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.
Chlamydia is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis which is passed during sexual contact; infants can become infected during vaginal delivery, and it is highly contagious.
Its incubation period is two to three weeks, with usually no symptoms in females.
Symptoms tend to develop slowly and are often mild, while many cases have no symptoms.
For females, sometimes a slight vaginal discharge; itching and burning of vagina, painful intercourse; abdominal pain; and fever in later stages.
In males, manifestations include discharge from penis; burning and itching of urethral opening; and burning sensation during urination.
This infection can be difficult to diagnose.
Culture test can determine disease, but many private doctors and hospitals do not have it.
Chlamydia diagnosis is often by ruling out gonorrhea with appropriate test.
A more rapid test involving microscopic examination of discharge from urethra or cervix has been recently developed.
Go to STD clinics and get these tests to be sure.
Also, there are some antibiotics that can be given if you have Chlamydia.
In terms of complications, if this contagion is untreated, it can cause sterility, pre-maturity, and stillbirths, infant pneumonia and eye infections in infants, which can lead to blindness.
The Chlamydia situation has been checked but current socioeconomic and political uncertainties increase the vulnerability of some segments of society to high risk behavior such as prostitution and drug use.
Sexual intercourse is the leading mode of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and these share a lot of at risk behavior and social factors with Chlamydia infection like multiple sex partners, unprotected sexual intercourse, penetrative anal intercourse and clientele of sex workers, and sharing needles for injecting drug use.
Reports from sentinel sites indicate high number of sexually transmitted diseases especially among these at risk groups.
Studies have shown that the presence of sexually transmitted infections increases the person's chance of acquiring and transmitting the Chlamydia infection.
These diseases should be treated in their early stage as these can become chronic, spreading through the body and causing irreversible damage.
Experiences from other countries show that aggressive syndromic treatment of sexually transmitted diseases during the early phase of a Chlamydia epidemic is a cost effective measure to prevent the infection.
Sexually transmitted infection control and disease prevention have a very closely linked relationship especially in areas where there is high incidence of Chlamydia.
As of the present time, the proven most important method to prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections in risky sexual encounters is consistent and correct use of protective materials like condoms.