Chlamydia screening practices of primary-care providers -- Wake County, North Carolina, 1996.

Genital chlamydial infection is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, and the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections in sexually active adolescents is 5%-15%, regardless of socioeconomic status. Although chlamydial infections frequently are asymptomatic in women, untreated infections can cause extensive inflammation and scarring of the female reproductive tract. In addition, chlamydial infections may facilitate human immunodeficiency virus transmission. Because of the risks and complications associated with this infection, CDC and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have recommended that all sexually active adolescent women undergoing a pelvic examination receive routine screening for chlamydia. To characterize the chlamydia screening practices of primary-care providers in Wake County, North Carolina, a county with high reported rates of chlamydial genital infection, the Wake County Human Services Public Health Center conducted a survey of primary-care providers during August-October 1996. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which document missed opportunities for the detection of chlamydia infection by health-care providers in both public and private practices.