6. How is it treated?
Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. All sexual partners of the infected person should also be tested and treated if necessary. In order to avoid re-infection, all infected persons must abstain from sexual contact until they and their sex partners are free of the disease.
If Chlamydia is left untreated, it can lead to serious health problems, especially in women. They range from pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) to infertility and a risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Like gonorrhea, chlamydia can also be transmitted from a mother to her baby during birth, leading to an infection of the eyes and pneumonia. In men, symptoms are less common. Still, the infection can also spread inside the internal sex organs, causing pain, fever, and, in rare cases, sterility.7. How can it be prevented?
Obviously, the best way to prevent infection with chlamydia or any other STD is to avoid sexual contact with an infected partner. However, since not every sexually active person lives in a stable, exclusive relationship, and since some women are unknowingly infectious and have no symptoms, this advice may not be realistic in all cases. Anyway, those who know they are infected must immediately stop having sexual contacts until they are cured. They also must inform those whom they may have infected. For females without symptoms, but with several sexual partners, it may be a good idea to get tested at least once a year, just in case. All pregnant women should also be tested, because newborn babies may be infected simply by passing through the birth canal (the vagina). One final reminder: In all casual sexual encounters a condom offers considerable protection if it is used correctly and consistently.
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