The number of chlamydia cases registered in Denmark has shot up by 12 percent in just one year, according a report from the health authority Sundhedsstyrelsen.
In 2014 there were 30,881 registered cases of the sexually-transmitted disease (STD), the highest number ever, with particularly young people aged 20-29 having difficulty practising safe sex. Some 84 percent of all registered chlamydia cases were found in the 15-29 age group.
“We are facing a very serious challenge concerning 20 to 29 year-olds,” said Marianne Lomholt, the head of the national family planning organisation Sex og Samfund. “This is where most cases are found, and it’s here we need to be vigilant.”
The report also revealed that 351,507 people were tested for the STD – a 13 percent increase from the year before.
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Campaign seeing results
But there is some good news. There was actually a drop in cases registered among the 15-19 age group.
“Everything points to us getting hold of the youngsters aged 15-19, and they’ve become better at taking care of themselves and each other,” Lomholt said.
“Via the schools’ health and sexual education we have run an annual awareness campaign, ‘Kun med Kondom’ (‘Only with a Condom’), which appears to be working.”
But Lomholt contended that the municipalities should prioritise more resources for a more broad approach that also raises awareness among young people outside school.
