Chlamydia is one of the most prevalent STI's among sexually active people today. A study done by the American College of Physicians found that 2.2% of people between the age of 14 and 39 have chlamydia (2). This means that 2 million Americans are infected with Chlamydia in the United States today (2).

Chlamydia is a caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis (11). It can cause blindness if it infects the eye (11), and can be transmitted from mother to child during birth (5). Chlamydia is an asymptomatic infection for 50-70% of females who acquire it (11). Its lack of symptoms makes it more of a health problem because it can be easily transmitted from person to person if they are unaware that they are infected. This is why education and knowledge about STI's is an extremely important part of sex education. If Chlamydia is allowed to progress it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in about half the women that it infects (11). PID can subsequently lead to infertility or eptopic pregnancies (11).

Chlamydia is completely curable with antibiotics (5). A single dose of Azithromycin or a weeks worth of Doxycycline kills the bacterium (5). Such an easily cured STI should not be such a health problem, yet it is because a large portion of the population is ignorant of how it is spread or that they should be tested for it. Studies have also shown that the prevalence of Chlamydia differs across racial lines (2). This again illustrates that those who do not have sufficient access to health care or education that would inform them that they should get screened for STI's such as Chlamydia, are at higher risk. Knowledge is our best defense against STI's and teen pregnancy, this includes knowledge of both the option to remain abstinent and the methods of protection if one chooses to have sex.

Awareness is the key weapon that will help prevent this disease from spreading.

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