The Ways to Manage and Prevent Chlamydia Infection in Hong Kong

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis lead to severe health influence including infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and increase HIV infection risks. Recent years have witnessed the lack of official STI surveillance data in Hong Kong, Dr William Wong has carried out an investigation in Hong Kong aiming to determine the prevalence of three major STIs among individual 18-49 years old in Hong Kong, namely Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis. And also aims at identifying individual and contextual risk factors of STIs. This essay will focus on Chlamydia only, trying to discuss the way to manage and prevent chlamydia infection in Hong Kong mainly based on Dr Wong’s investigation and data collected by Hong Kong government. I will first introduce the experiment carried out by Dr Wong and then try to reveal the hidden belief and consequence behind the surface of the data. By integrating the data and results, I will then try to give my opinion on facing the STIs.

In the first place, I would like to introduce the survey in detail. The method of collecting data is random sampling. By conducting the survey and collect back the questionnaire for statistical analysis, the result can be easily interpreted that in average sexually experienced male has a rate of 1.5% of getting Chlamydia and sexually experienced female has an average rate of 2.0%. As for sexually active male and female, the rate jumps to 1.9% and 2.6%. What really worth mentioning is the distinct U shape curve, which depict the distribution of prevalence of chlamydia among the sexually active participants. For female between 18 to 26, 5.8% of them founded to be infected while only below 2 percent of those between 27 to 39 found to be infected but the figure jumps back to 4.1% for those among 40 to 49. The trend was similar to previous local studies on human papillomavirus ... Couples might break up and both sides would look for new partners resulting in unprotected sex,” said Dr William Wong Chi-Wai. The data clearly shows that the younger age and older age are two key risk factors that worth paying most time and resource to deal with when talking about prevention and control.

Another equally essential part of the survey is the survey on impacts of chlamydia infection on patient quality of life and sexual health. The impact is mainly on these aspects: physical, psychological, social, relational, personal belief and sexual health. We can conclude from the result of the survey that most of the patients are lack of the knowledge toward Chlamydia, even after consultation with doctors, patients are still confused. So, the negative impact on their quality of life is apparently foreseeing. It is mainly focus on disbelief, embarrassment, anger…And it further hurt the relationship due to the betrayal meaning and mutual blaming.

We have to concede the seriousness of Chlamydia because of its profound impact on individual and proper coping strategy for patient and better prevention method should be come up with and actively spread out.

To cope with the infection of chlamydia, we should focus on two main aspects: change and test. When talking about change, I suggest change in personal hygiene habit, frequent change of underwear& menstrual pads for example. Drinking water and urinate is also a very nature behaviour that we should not intentionally disobey. Moving on to a wider themed, I agree with the statement that change in sexual behaviours without reservation for the reason that intercourse, or sexual transmission, is the predominate way the Chlamydia bacteria infect people. We definitely need to have safer sex and maintain a mutual monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner and reduce adventurous sexual acts. Condom should be used properly during each sexual contact. Shower before sex, and urine after sex are both crucial. Beside the aspect of change, the other one is test. Routine screening and counselling, even in asymptomatic patients (in particularly female patients or contacts), are necessary. It is equally significant to do contact tracing by patient referral. Re-test is suggested and the earlier the better. Test for other STIs, such as HPV, is also important.

To prevent the Chlamydia, the most effective way is carrying out health education. As mentioned above, the survey conducted on patients reveals the lack of knowledge toward basic STIs, even for those university level patients. As can be inferred reasonably, it is obvious that the lower level of education system need undoubtedly more resource on sexual-related popularisation. The topic of education can be related to condom use, one of the most crucial and convenient tools in sex, and distribution of related printed material is desirable too, which can make the listeners keeps a longer memory than just listening. I suggest that promote and routine the medical consultation after unsafe exposure, which is the most possible approach of being infected by STIs.

From my own experience, as one grows up in mainland China and lived in Hong Kong since 14, I found myself know nothing about chlamydia until the lecture, which more or less imply the missing of health education in my childhood, while the 18 to 26 female owns a significantly high risk of being infected. Personally, I found it to be really useful of receiving such helpful knowledge about health. So, it is really indispensable for teenagers to receive well-qualified lessons on the related subject. What is more important is to be sure that resources are in use. What I mean by that is according to my experience, very often, the health education part is existed in the outline of the course but is intentionally omitted by the teacher, due to his or her shame or whatever reason. So, to make sure the resource really goes into practice is significant.

Last but not the least, although the rate of infection in STIs is not that obvious, it reflects the current short of health education and to promote the coping strategy to the disease is indeed meaningful.