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A new strategy aimed at increasing the number of men in England screened for chlamydia has been launched.The number of people tested for the sexually transmitted infection has risen since 2003 but the proportion of men having checks remains low.Part of the problem is that young men rarely visit their GP, where they could be offered the urine test, says the Health Protection Agency.Now colleges, youth clubs and prisons will offer the screening service.Men will also be able to order home-testing kits over the internet. The HPA hopes that the programme will raise awareness of the importance of screening men, both for their own sexual and reproductive health and to prevent infertility in women.Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK, with studies suggesting one in eight men and one in 10 women carry the infection.Although chlamydia remains more serious for women, recent evidence by scientists in Mexico suggests that male fertility can also be impaired as a result of infection.If picked up early in men, it can be treated very easily with antibiotics and potentially eliminated.
Screening programme
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme was launched in England in 2003 and screened around 18,000 people under 25 in its first year. Only 7% of these were men.In 2006/07 about a fifth of the 150,000 people screened were men.Dr Mary Macintosh, director of the programme, said increasing the number of men screened was vital."It is crucial that young men are aware of the risks of chlamydia for themselves and for their partners. This will help prevent the spread of the infection and improve their sexual health."An HPA spokeswomen said, as a group, men were harder to reach with screening."We needed to be a bit more creative about how we offered our services to men and decided that we could actively target them by moving screening into these non-traditional settings."Peter Baker of the Men's Health Forum said: "It is crucial to screen more men if the present chlamydia epidemic is to be brought under control."Good sexual health is dependent on both sexes taking the matter seriously. It is important to help men understand that is not just women's responsibility."Genevieve Clark of the Terrence Higgins Trust said: "Our research found that one in 10 men think chlamydia is a flower, so it's no surprise that too few of them are going for a test."We're delighted with this focus on young men, who may not realise that their health can be affected by chlamydia."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7085305.stm
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