Advocacy Project: Healthy People 2010/THOMAS

Goal of Figure 25-1 Reduce the proportion of Chlamydia trachomatis by the year 2010.

ORIGINAL OBJECTIVE
Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults with Chlamydia trachomatis infections

Target and baseline:
Objective Reduction in Chlamydia trachomatis infections


Percent
25-1a. Females aged 15 to 24 years attending family planning clinics 5.0 3.0
25-1b. Females aged 15 to 24 years attending STD clinics 12.2 3.0
25-1c. Males aged 15 to 24 years attending STD clinics 15.7 3.0

Target setting method: Better than the best.

Data source: STD Surveillance System, CDC, NCHSTP.

Progress towardes the goal Progress Qutient Chart
The progress that has been made towards this goal is moving away from the target range at an alarming rate. For section 25-1a. the progress has declined by 70%. For section 25-1b there has been a decrease of improvment by 21%, and for section 25-1c the progress has declined by 28%. All of these numbers are bad. There are more and more cases of Chlamydia Trachomatis every year.

Taken from the Healthy People 2010 report.
"Objectives that moved away from their targets. Between 1997 and 2003, the proportion of females aged 15 to 24 years with chlamydial infections who attended family planning clinics increased from 5.0 percent to 6.4 percent (25-1a), and those who attended STD clinics increased from 12.2 percent to 14.1 percent (25-1b), moving away from the target of 3.0 percent. From 1997 to 2003, the proportion of males aged 15 to 24 years with chlamydial infections who attended STD clinics (25-1c) increased from 15.7 percent to 19.3 percent. The increase in the overall number of cases of chlamydial infections in family planning and STD clinics may be a reflection of increasingly sensitive diagnostic tests."

Opportunities & Challenges

An opportunity is to have the infected people of chlamydia take anti-biotic medication to eradicat the infection, to kill it off and make it go away. A challange is that with viruses becoming resistant to drugs by way of patients not completly killing off the virus and the surrviving virus adapts to the medication. It is very important to complete the series of anti-biotic medication to completly erradicat the virus.


Emerging Issues
Here is the report from the Health People 2010. Released in the year 1997, and 2003.
Increases also have occurred in gonorrhea and in a previously rare form of chlamydia, lymphogranuloma venereum. Some of these increases may be attributable to an overall rise in the use of methamphetamines (crystal meth) among MSM, which has a documented association with increased risky sexual behavior. The Internet also has become a major venue for men to connect with other men to arrange sexual encounters. These phenomena present substantial challenges for STD/HIV prevention programs. Current chlamydia screening programs for males are limited. CDC recommends screening all sexually active females 25 years of age and under for chlamydia on an annual basis. In 1999, CDC initiated a research project on male screening to determine the proportion of males with cases of asymptomatic chlamydial infections, the feasibility of screening asymptomatic males for chlamydia in multiple venues, and the risk factors for infection. This research project comprises a screening demonstration, a longitudinal study, and a cost-effectiveness analysis. Recommendations about screening men in
settings with a high proportion of chlamydial infections are under development.

Find a bill that will help towards progress of the wanted goal.

I couldn't find a bill specifically aimed at chlamydia prevention, but this bill is aimed at HIV/AIDs prevention which is another promotion of stoping transimtion of a sexually transmitted infection.

H.CON.RES.62
Title: Supporting the goals and ideals of "National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day"
Sponsor: Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] (introduced 2/25/2009) Cosponsors (23)
Latest Major Action: 2/25/2009 Referred to House committee
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

My own recommendation is to vote "yes" to help pass this as it is a form of STI prevention. It is all related to having safe sex, and to reduce transmistion of disease. Please make an amendment and add in chlaymida trachonosis awareness along with HIV/AIDS awarness as the STI chlamydia trachnosis is heavily spreading amongst our sexually active population.

My politicial representative is US Representative Erik Paulsen of District 3.