9:01am Tuesday 6th November 2007
By Dan Goater
ALMOST 2,000 people have visited a chlamydia screening service in Weymouth since it started a year ago.
One in eight of the people who visited the screening team at the Littlemoor Health Centre tested positive - a result comparable to the national average.
The health service team, based in Louviers Road, is today marking its one-year anniversary and reminding people about the free and confidential service it offers.
The team was set up with the aim of informing local people about the disease and to slow infection rates among the local population.
Screening co-ordinator Barry Alborough said: "It can be quite hard to identify if you carry chlamydia as often there can be no immediate symptoms until weeks or even months later, or in some cases when the infection spreads to other parts of the body.
"If left untreated it can lead to pain in the testicles or pelvis and ultimately fertility problems.
"However, it is not all bad news as it can be detected with a straightforward test.
"Being tested is a painless process, which simply requires a swab or urine sample being taken.
"Results are available within around 10 days and, if positive, you can be prescribed a course of antibiotics which are effective if taken as instructed."
Testing kits are free and can be collected from a number of local outlets, including doctors' surgeries and pharmacies in Dorchester, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Wareham, Swanage and Portland.
For more information on local screening services visit the website at www.chlamydiascreendorset.co.uk or call 01305 816208.
As well as providing a screening service, the Littlemoor team offers advice on contraception and other sexual health issues.
All the tests and advice carried out by the team are free and confidential.
Official statistics from the Health Protection Agency for 2005 show the South West region has one of the lowest rates of chlamydia infection in the country, with between 100 and 149 out of 100,000 people being infected.
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