Chlamydia screening and treatment in Philadelphia prison: Did it impact community Chlamydia rates?

In 2002, Philadelphia began screening adult male prisoners for Chlamydia. Through 2004, for 20-24 year old prisoners, 1479 infections were detected and 1346 (91%) were treated; these prisoners came from 44 of 48 ZIP codes. Between 1999 and 2004, the average decline in positivity among females 20-24 years old attending family planning clinics was 3% in all ZIP codes regardless of the corresponding positivity among the male prisoners. Despite many males with Chlamydia being identified and treated, we were unable to attribute the continued decline in female positivity directly to the male prison screening program for this age group.