Staggeringly high” rates of chlamydia have been reported among New Zealand teenage girls.

A report by Environmental Science and Research (ESR) was the first time data was collated from every laboratory in the country on people tested, as well as the number of new sexually transmitted infection (STI) cases found.

It found 5064 cases of chlamydia per 100,000 population in teenage girls aged 15 and over.

This was a “staggeringly high” rate, the report authors said.

Because only six per cent of teenage boys were tested for STIs, compared to 35 per cent of teenage girls, the real number of men with chlamydia was likely higher. [Read more…]