Treatment for Chlamydial and Gonococcal Infections in a School-based Screening Program

摘要

Between school years 1995-96 and 2004-05, 3,422 infections with chlamydia or gonorrhea were detected in a screening conducted annually in public high schools in New Orleans. Treatment was documented for 2,844 infections (83.1%). For 2,692 infections with documented dates of treatment, the median time from specimen collection to treatment was 21 days. Treatment rates and times to treatment were significantly different per school year, but not per gender or per infection. Compared to schools without a health clinic on-site, schools with a health clinic on-site significantly treated more infections (82.1% vs. 85.5%, respectively; p=0.01) and sooner (medians: 21 days vs. 20 days, respectively; p=0.02). Differences in treatment rates and in treatment times per school year reflected the dynamic interplay between various individuals from the screening program, the administrations in each participating school, and the local health department, as well as the commonly high absentee, truancy, and dropout rates among students in the school district.