Young urged to get STI-checked

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YOUNG people in Oldham are being urged to take advantage of a free screening check for the nation’s most common sexually transmitted infection.

Cases of chlamydia are on the rise and have rocketed in the under-16s over the past five years — up by 90 per cent, according to Government figures.

In 95 per cent of cases, the infection can be cured by a course of simple antibiotics.

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Check out the video (top right) filmed by Safina Kauser, a student on the University Centre Oldham digital journalism course, for more on this story. If you want to know more about the course, click here

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But left unchecked, it can quickly spread to sexual partners and cause serious health problems, including infertility.

Prevention is simple — use a condom.

Worryingly, people often don’t show symptoms, and that is why health bosses say it is important to get tested.

Complications are most common and most severe in women, and include pelvic inflammatory disease, which affects up to four in 10 of women with chlamydia, and can cause chronic pain.

The infection can cause an ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilised egg starts to develop outside the womb, and can be fatal.

And other consequences can be infertility, abscesses in the fallopian tubes and on the ovaries, liver infections and conjunctivitis.

More than one in three babies born to infected women develop eye or lung infections, and there is some evidence to show untreated chlamydial infections in pregnant women can lead to premature delivery.

For men, complications include urethral infection, inflammation of the prostate gland, decreased fertility, a form of arthritis and conjunctivitis.

Health chiefs say it is difficult to estimate how many people in Oldham have chlamydia, because without showing symptoms, people often skip the offer of screening and therefore remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Fifteen to 24-year-olds are most affected, with symptoms usually appearing between a week and three weeks after infection — if at all.

Women may have discharge or cystitis, which causes pain when passing water, and mild lower abdominal pain.

Around half of men who get chlamydia show symptoms, which include discharge, inflammation of tubes and pain or burning when passing urine.

Under-19s can get tested at The Centre, Oldham’s youth support centre, based at Positive Steps in Union Street.

The Centre health team is part of Oldham Community Health Services and Samantha Uttley, senior healthcare assistant and Ruqia Bibi, assistant practitioner, offer chlamydia screening on a drop-in basis. Ruqia said: “The test is really simple and painless. It only requires a urine sample, or women can use a self-administered swab.”

Results can be sent out either by letter, phone call or even text. Anyone who tests positive can go back to The Centre for treatment.

It opens from 9am-5pm on Mondays and Fridays, 9am-7pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 10am-2pm on Saturdays.

Testing is also offered by Brook, the young people’s sexual health advisory centre, also in Union Street.

Experts say testing is simple, quick and pain-free and early diagnoses and treatment greatly reduce the risk of complications.

To find out where screening is available in Oldham, or to request a free postal kit from RU Clear, the Greater Manchester-wide screening programme, visit www.ruclear.co. uk.

To order a kit by text, text the word TEST with your name, age and address to 84010.

For more information about chlamydia, contact the confidential advice line on 0800-0461 303.

Anyone over the age of 24 can contact Oldham Community Health Services’ sexual health service on 0161-906 2815 to find out where their nearest clinic is and when the next available appointment is.

The Royal Oldham Hospital’s Phoenix Sexual Health Centre can be contacted on 0161-627 8395.