Racial Differences in Chlamydia Reported
Regional Differences
Miller says socioeconomic factors may also explain the regional differences in infection rates. Chlamydial infection was found in almost 5.5% of the young people living in the South, almost 4% among those living in the Midwest, 3% among those living in the West, and almost 2.5% among those living in the Northeast.
Eschenbach says a historical reluctance to call for the screening of all sexually active young people comes from the fact that older tests for chlamydia were more expensive and less accurate than the tests used today. He tells WebMD that it is time for the CDC and other health-care groups to revisit and broaden their screening guidelines.
"Clearly the data are there to suggest that you can save a lot of money and a lot of grief by screening people for this STD," he says.
