Chlamydia is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted disease which is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. It affects both men and women in different parts of the reproductive system. For example, women get infected in the cervix, rectum, or throat. Men can get infected in the urethra, rectum, or throat. In women, symptoms include abnormal vaginal discharge, pain when urinating, and some pain during sex. In men, one experiences discharge from the penis, swelling in the testicles, burning sensation during urination, and itching around the opining of the penis. The disease has low mortality and morbidity rates but has higher prevalence because it does not cause serious symptoms in the patients. Notably, it has a prevalence rate of 9% and is common among people aged between 18 and 25 years (Corsenac et al, 2015). Chlamydia has complications only in women which include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and can result in permanent damage in the reproductive system. Another common complication which is common in women is reactive arthritis. The disease is treated using antibiotics which can be administered orally or through the reproductive system.
Determinants of health such immunity, lifestyle choices, environment, and the socio-economic characteristics of individuals play a significant role in determining occurrence and prevalence of chlamydia. Immunity and lifestyle choices play the most significant role in determining the occurrence of this disease. People with reduced immunity or already infected with sexually transmitted diseases including HPV are more prone to chlamydia than the others. If not detected early, HPV and Chlamydia can occur simultaneously and cause serious conditions such as cervical cancer in women (Lopez et al, 2017). Choice of sex partners and rate of intercourse also play an important role in determining the prevalence. Risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected sex and multiple sex partners have been noted as major health determinants
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Some of the host factors influencing infection and occurrence of chlamydia include the immunity response of the individuals and their lifestyle choices. People with poor immunity are at a higher risk of contracting the disease as are people with lifestyle choices that are not recommended. Alcohol consumption, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles reduce the ability of the body to respond to infections (Walker et al, 2011).
Chlamydia has a special life-cycle that include alternation between the infectious and non-infectious elementary bodies. It is dispersed through the infectious body that activates once it gets into contact with the glycogen of the host body. It has an incubation period of up to three weeks and divides every 2-3 hours through binary fission.
Environmental factors of this pathogen include presence or absence of glycogen and suitable reproduction conditions. The reproductive system of human hosts provides suitable development environment; a condition that makes them the only targets for the bacteria. The reproductive system is preferable because it avails large amounts of glycogen and promotes rapid development through binary fusion.
Family Health Nursing Professionals in the community have a role of identifying cases of chlamydia infections among the individuals and advise as to ways of treatment and prevention. They should regularly test individuals of the disease and subsequently administer suitable interventions. It is also important for these practitioners to advise adult and adolescent individuals as to the risk factors of the disease and guide them through the methods of prevention and avoidance (Walker et al, 2011). Screening should be followed up by reporting and analysis of data to indicate prevalence of the disease and the trends it demonstrates. As Walker et al (2011) observe, it is the role of community FNPs to observe these patterns as they give them signals of how the disease might appear in the future.
References
Corsenac, P., Noël, M., Rouchon, B., Hoy, D., & Roth, A. (2015). Prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis: A national multicentre STI survey in New Caledonia, 2012. BMJ Open,5 (9). doi:10.1136/bmjopen 2015-007691
López-Corbeto, E., González, V., &Casabona, J. (2017). Prevalence and re-infection rate of C. trachomatis genital infections in young people under 25 years in Catalonia. Enfermedades Infecciosas Y MicrobiologiaClinica (English Ed.),35 (6), 359-363. doi:10.1016/j.eimce.2017.04.009
Walker, J., Fairley, C. K., Bradshaw, C. S., Tabrizi, S. N., Chen, M. Y., Twin, J., . . . Hocking, J. S. (2011). The difference in determinants of Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium in a sample of young Australian women. BMC Infectious Diseases,11 (1). doi:10.1186/1471-2334-11-35
