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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Jaret Gibbons State Rep. Cherelle Parker D-Philadelphia |
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Gibbons, Parker resolution declares Chlamydia Awareness Day in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Feb. 8 – State Reps. Jaret Gibbons and Cherelle Parker said the House unanimously adopted a resolution today that declares Feb. 11 Chlamydia Awareness Day in Pennsylvania.
Chlamydia is the most reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the country.
"The rates of chlamydia, especially among young women are alarming," Gibbons said. "We hope by declaring February 11 as Chlamydia Awareness Day in Pennsylvania to bring attention to the issue and to encourage improved screening and treatment of the disease."
Parker said chlamydia is known as a silent disease because 75 percent of women infected have no symptoms. As a result, many cases go untreated which increases a woman's risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and other complications.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.1 million chlamydia cases were reported in 2007.
"The statistics are staggering when you look at young women," Parker said. "More than half of the reported cases of chlamydia in 2007 were among females age 15 to 25. Young women and teenage girls are six times more likely to have chlamydia than all other women."
Parker said the rate of chlamydia among African-American females age 15 to 24 is eight times higher than white females.
"We need to educate our young women about the dangers of chlamydia and the importance of getting proper treatment," Parker said.
Gibbons and Parker are encouraging young women and all Pennsylvanians to use Chlamydia Awareness Day as an opportunity to learn more about the disease, as well as the need for better screening and treatment.
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