High prevalence of chlamydial and gonococcal infection in women entering jails and juvenile detention centers--Chicago, Birmingham, and San Francisco, 1998.

The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is high among women entering corrections facilities. Screening for STDs in these facilities, however, is difficult because of the large number of persons admitted each day and the frequent shortage of medical staff and examination space. New, sensitive urine tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia have made screening practical outside of medical settings. To assess the feasibility of screening women in corrections facilities for chlamydial and gonococcal infection using urine tests and to determine the prevalences of these infections, the Chicago Department of Public Health and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) began testing women and adolescent females entering the Cook County Jail and the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago and the Jefferson County Jail and the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center in Birmingham, respectively, in 1998. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has been testing women at the San Francisco County jails for chlamydial and gonococcal infections using urine tests since 1996 and adolescent females at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center since 1997. This report summarizes the findings for testing incarcerated women in 1998 in the three cities; preliminary results indicate that, in these facilities, testing for chlamydial and gonococcal infections is feasible and that a high percentage of women test positive for these infections.