The Men's Health Forum - England and Wales has published a report showing how more men could be screened for chlamydia.
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection diagnosed at genito-urinary medicine clinics in the UK and diagnoses have been rising steadily since the 1990s.
The Forum says that in the two years since a National Chlamydia Screening Programme was set up in the UK, it has screened 14 times as many women as men – yet it is known that men and women carry the chlamydia infection in equal numbers and most women are infected by sexual contact with men.
The Men and Chlamydia report is the product of a two-year research project in which success was achieved by a combination of factors, including:
partnership between the NHS and local communities,
male-friendly promotional materials,
free self-test kits and
the availability of treatment at local pharmacies.
The Forum believes that the project could point the way to persuading men to take their health more seriously, so improving the health of women as well.
