The chlamydia infection causes a variety of problems in men, women and children. In addition, the risk of both acquiring and transmitting HIV is increased in the presence of chlamydial infection.

Women:

Chlamydia can live silently for months or even years inside the genital tissues. At this stage, it may cause mild inflammation of the cervix (the neck of the womb), leading to a discharge, or it may affect the bladder, causing urinary symptoms. Left untreated, however, it has the potential to invade the lining of the womb and travel up the Fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries with the inside of the womb.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is the medical term for this inflammation. It causes pain, bleeding and, as a direct result of scarring of the Fallopian tubes, problems with fertility.

The female egg travels down the Fallopian tube, where it meets the sperm to form a fertilised ovum. Even with minor damage to the tube, the ability of the egg to be wafted along by tiny little hairs is affected. Either the egg is unable to get down the tube, or it gets halfway down and gets stuck, which is what causes an ectopic pregnancy. It is estimated that a single infection with chlamydia leads to a 10 per cent chance of infertility.

Just last week, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported a link between chlamydia and cervical cancer. A study of 530,000 women in Finland, Norway and Sweden suggests that infection with chlamydia leads to a six-fold increase in the risk of developing cervical squamous cell cancer, the most common form of the disease.

Apart from inflammation of the urethra, chlamydia can spread to the tubes surrounding the testes, causing epidymitis, which can affect the movement of sperm.

Reiter's Syndrome is characterised by inflammation of the urethra and the conjunctiva of the eye, arthritis and a skin rash. Genital chlamydia infection has been linked to its development.

Children:

Babies born to mothers with genital chlamydia infection may develop conjunctivitis within the first 10 days of life. Maternal chlamydia is also associated with infant pneumonia occurring three to six weeks after birth.