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Date of Report: 04/22/2003
Author:
Description: Campaign announcement.
Dear Dr. Parham:
In December 2002, the Centers for Disease Control reported that the epidemic of sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis is on the rise and that privately insured patients have been hit the hardest. Chlamydia remains the most commonly reported disease in the United States, with nearly 800,000 cases were reported in 2001. Most cases were reported by private sector clinicians. However, many infections are not detected and reported because most infected women and men lack recognizable symptoms. Experts believe that more than 3 million new infections would be identified each year if screening were more common. Recent studies of routinely screened women covered by commercial health plans or private health insurance reveal that 3 percent to 9 percent are infected.
Routine screening and treatment of early infections are essential to prevent serious outcomes that can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars to manage. Treating acute infection with inexpensive oral antibiotics can prevent pelvic inflammatory disease, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and perinatal infections in women and epididymitis in men. Prompt detection and treatment can also prevent lost productivity in the workplace and home.
Numerous clinical organizations recommend routine Chlamydia screening of young, sexually active women and teens. Screening rates are also monitored by the HEDIS performance measurement system that monitors the quality of care in health plans. However, current screening performance is poor. Less than 25 percent of eligible women were screened in the health plans that reported the measure in 2001. This measure may be used to accredit health plans as early as 2004.
We want to enlist your organization to fight this serious health threat in three ways:
 | increase awareness among health plans, their affiliated clinicians, and their enrollees about the heavy burden of Chlamydia among privately-insured persons |
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| encourage adherence to national Chlamydia screening guidelines |
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| disseminate new information and clinical decision tools to guide screening |
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Please distribute the attached information to your members or member organizations by email, newsletter, blast fax, or other means. If you have questions about how your organization can join CDC's campaign to control the epidemic of Chlamydia and the costs of the serious medical conditions it causes, please contact CDC or the organizations listed below.
Sincerely,
Harold W. Jaffe, M.D.
Director
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
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