Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections--United States, 1995

Genital tract infections with Chlamydia trachomatis are a major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility among women, and perinatal transmission of C. trachomatis to infants can cause neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. In 1994, the estimated cost of untreated chlamydial infections and their complications was $2 billion in the United States. To determine the number of reported cases of infection and to assess the impact of screening and treatment programs on chlamydial infection in 1995, CDC analyzed notifiable disease surveillance data on chlamydia and data on chlamydia test positivity among women screened in family-planning clinics funded through CDC and the Office of Population Affairs as a result of the Preventive Health Amendments of 1992. This report summarizes the findings of the analysis, which indicate that, although the number of reported cases of chlamydial infection among women continued to increase concomitantly with the expansion of screening programs and improved reporting, the prevalence of chlamydial infections declined among women attending Title X family-planning clinics in areas that implemented screening and treatment programs.