The highest rates of chlamydia in Denmark can be found in Frederiksberg, where there are an estimated 33 out of 1,000 young people infected, according to a recent report from Sundhedsstyrelsen – Denmark’s national board of health.
The report shows that other hotbeds of the disease include the municipalities of Aalborg, Holstebro, Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense.
Often undiagnosed
Rates of infection in towns full of university students are higher than ever before and researchers fear they will only continue to climb, as a lot of people who are infected don’t experience any symptoms, making it hard to diagnose and treat them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms include pain during urination and abnormal discharge.
Untreated, chlamydia can give rise to reduced fertility and involuntary childlessness, pregnancy outside the womb and chronic abdominal pains in women, while among men it can cause inflammation of the testicles.
Greater promiscuity
The report concluded that the cause of these unprecedented rates is a continuous increase in the number of sexual partners that young people have.
Experts say that adolescents are using less protection due to a decrease in the risk of contracting AIDS that de-emphasises condom use. In addition, non-barrier contraceptives such as the pill are growing in popularity.
Sexual promiscuity has become common in the lives of young adults and students, and 80 percent of chlamydia cases are found in people between the ages of 15 and 29.
