One in 12 people in Lincolnshire are infected with Chlamydia, according to new reports. This astonishing figure has provoked the Do You Have It? campaign that aims to promote awareness of the infection amongst 15-24 year olds.
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK and often has no symptoms, making it dangerous as people may not even realise they have it.
Tom Haughton, a Peers Support Worker, is based at the University of Lincoln and is keen to make students more aware of the infection and take preventative action.
“I cover Lincoln University, Bishop Grosseteste, and Lincoln College as the liberal student lifestyle where people may encounter different sexual partners is the perfect catalyst for the STI,” says Haughton.
Students are lectured about the same old ideas, such as using protection and maintaining regular sexual health checkups. However, the “Do You Have It?” campaign is attempting to make this as easy as possible by providing self-testing kits free of charge.
Haughton’s main role is to research how to stop Chlamydia from spreading, and he feels that it is by making it as little an inconvenience as possible.
“The self testing kits are hassle free; you send a urine sample or a swab by post or drop it into the health centre, and you get your results via text message. The infection is generally treated with four tablets and a glass of water so there is no excuse for not keeping an eye on your sexual health,” he says.
If left untreated the STI can cause long-term health problems, including infertility, so despite the lack of symptoms it must not be ignored.
Alex Colman gave it a go and took the Chlamydia test. He explains the process here.