Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in San Francisco high schools.

Abstract

Previous school-based studies in cities with a high prevalence of chlamydia found a substantial prevalence of chlamydial infection among students. The goal was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in San Francisco high schools. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) education and screening were conducted at four high schools. Students provided basic demographic information and urine specimens for chlamydia and gonorrhea ligase chain reaction testing. Among 283 asymptomatic females screened, 3.9% had chlamydia and 0.7% had gonorrhea. The prevalence of chlamydia was 1.5% among females <16 years of age and 4.6% among females >or=16 years of age. Only 0.8% of asymptomatic males (3/381) had chlamydia, and none had gonorrhea. STD screening was both feasible and acceptable in San Francisco high schools. STD screening in high schools should be prioritized as follows: (1) chlamydia screening over gonorrhea screening, (2) female screening over male screening, and (3) screening of older students (juniors and seniors) over screening of younger students.