Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by “Chlamydia trachomatis”, a microscopic organism that has the characteristics of both a virus and a bacterium. It is spread by vaginal or anal sex.
Men and women can both be infected by the disease. Most of the times, the problem goes undetected until it develops into  serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, which strikes 500,000 women annually and may result in sterility. Men that contract Chlamydia may also develop epididymitis, which is an inflammation of the scrotal tubes that can cause sterility. A sexually active woman who is not with a monogamous partner, need to be checked yearly for Chlamydia. This is especially important to a pregnant mother or if they are planning to have a child. In the United States alone 180,000 babies are born to infected mother with conjunctivitis, which is an inflammation of the membranes in the eye that may lead to blindness.

Symptoms: As the symptoms are not quite visible, so any abnormality should be considered serious and get checked by the doctor. For men though there is sometimes a whitish, yellowish discharge from the penis. They may have a frequent urge to urinate or a burning sensation while urinating. Redness at the tip of the penis may also occur. In women if any symptoms are noticeable at all, there maybe mild discomfort, often mistaken for menstrual cramps. There is vaginal discharge that may be mistaken for vaginitis. Those however are the only noticeable symptoms for women. It is important to get yearly check-ups to test for Chlamydia, it quite often is the only way to catch the disease before more permanent damage occurs. This disease is highly communicable and if a person would touch their eyes with a contaminated hand, they could also develop conjunctivitis.
Chlamydia is easily cured. It can be cured with oral antibiotics. The cure rate in uncomplicated cases is about 95 percent. Although since most women and men do not know they suffer from Chlamydia, most serious complications can occur, which is harder to treat, such as pelvic inflammatory disease. In order to catch it once again is to get an annual check-up from a doctor and request to be tested for Chlamydia. The only other preventive measure that could be taken would be to use a condom during sex and to try to stay in a monogamous sexual relationship.