Chlamydiasis.
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted bacterial infection. It affects both men and women. This infection is easily spread because it often causes no symptoms and may be unknowingly passed to sexual partners. You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia. If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate (cum). If you’ve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia. If you are pregnant, you can give chlamydia to your baby during childbirth. Chlamydia can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive system.
- Signs and symptoms:
In women:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge with foul odor – caused by an inflamed cervix
- Bleeding between periods
- Painful and heavier periods
- Abdominal pain with low-grade fever
- Pain or bleeding during sexual intercourse
- Itching or burning in or around the vagina
- Pain when urinating
- Pain, discharge or bleeding in the anus
- Inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis) – redness caused by infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eyes.
- Sores in the mouth & tonsillitis
In men:
- A white, cloudy or watery discharge from the penis
- Pain or burning when urinating
- Pain and/or swelling & tenderness of the testicles
- Pain, discharge or bleeding in the anus
- Inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis) – redness caused by infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eyes.
- Sores in the mouth & Tonsillitis
- Complications:
- in men - epididymitis, infertility, arthritis, increased risk for HIV/AIDS, urethritis, prostatitis
- in women - PID, cervicitis, salpingitis, bartholinitis, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, increased risk for HIV/AIDS
- Diagnosis:
- Sample swab of the urethra in men or from the cervix in women
- Urine sample
- Swab from the throat or from the rectum
- Treatment:
- One dose of Azithromycin
- Doxycycline pills for 1 week – not given to pregnant women
- Alternatives can be – erythromycin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin