Press release
Chlamydia testing in demand at town centre pub
An NHS Bury initiative to encourage 18 - 25 year olds to be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea at a town centre pub has met with success.
A team of NHS staff were at Yates’s on Market Street in Bury on Friday 13th February offering free tests to customers as part of the Greater Manchester RU Clear? chlamydia screening programme.
Over the course of an hour, an average of one person every two minutes took a test, which involves a quick ‘pee in a pot’ urine sample and screens for both chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
Deborah Lindars, Chlamydia Screening Programme Co-ordinator for Community Services Bury, said: “This was the first time we have ever screened people in a pub and we were delighted with the response from customers.
Being on hand to offer tests at Yates’s greatly helped us in our efforts to make screening easily accessible. It is one of our key priorities to encourage as many sexually active young people as possible to take a test, as statistics show one in ten have chlamydia.”
People screened on the evening will be informed of their result in confidence, by text, letter or phone, over the next two weeks.
Chlamydia can be treated successfully by taking one dose of antibiotics. Treatment is free, even for people who normally have to pay for prescriptions. Without treatment chlamydia can cause very serious long term health complications, such as ectopic pregnancies, pelvic inflammatory disease and an increased risk of miscarriage. In men, it can lead to a painful infection in the testicles and fertility problems.
Deborah continued: “We would like to say thank you to Yates’s for letting us carry out the testing. Following the success of this new approach, we now have plans to work with other venues in the coming months to offer testing in pubs, clubs and other social venues across the town centre.”
For more information on RU Clear, to find out your nearest sexual health clinic or to order a postal chlamydia kit visit www.ruclear.co.uk or call 0845 330 6363.
ENDS
Date: 17th February 2009
For further information please contact Communications, NHS Bury on 0161 762 3130 or email communications@bury.nhs.uk
Notes to editor:
- 27 people in total were tested between 9.00pm and 10.00pm; 13 men and 14 women.