Chlamydia Vaccine
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston are making progress toward what could become a chlamydia vaccine. An important part of the discovery is the new way of delivering the combination of agents that stimulate the immune system to naturally fight chlamydia. Chlamydia is a very common sexually-transmitted disease that can cause infertility in women and can even cause blindness. About 100 million people globally contract chlamydia each year. So far, attempts at developing a chlamydia vaccine have been unsuccessful.
The new procedure, published in the Journal of Science, uses nanotechnology to introduce an inactive chlamydia bacteria bound with an adjuvant that stimulates the immune system to generate a response. Both the inactive chlamydia and the adjuvant must be introduced together; neither is effective without the other. Both are introduced in the mucus membrane, which becomes inflated as a result of a chlamydia infection.
Importance of Early Chlamydia Detection
To prevent a chlamydia infection from becoming chronic, the infection must be discovered in its early stages. When chlamydia is discovered early, a regimen of antibiotics usually cure the problem. However, the longer the infection goes undetected, the less likely it is that antibiotics will cure chlamydia. However, about one-half of the people infected with the chlamydia bacteria don’t experience any symptoms, and don’t know they have the disease.
The best way to know whether you have chlamydia is to get tested on a regular basis, such as every six months. A simple blood test can detect if you have the bacteria and a round of antibiotics will cure the problem.
Anonymous Chlamydia Test
If you’re hesitant to get tested because your doctor must report your name and other personal information to the state health department when you test positive for chlamydia or any other sexually-transmitted disease, you can get an anonymous chlamydia test by following the instructions in our free guide to anonymous STD tests.
