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To: Public Health England

Chlamydia routine screening in pregnancy nationally

To add chlamydia screening to all antenatal testing nationally, alongside the approved recommendations by NSC, that are currently in place, HIV, Syphilis and hepatitis B.

Why is this important?

I work in a hospital enviroment where i see families affected by the common STI, Chlamydia ( Chlamydia Trachomatis). But what shocked me the most is the UK NSC and Public health have not worked together to approve Chlamydia screening in pregnant woman.

I have seen women and heard stories from women, who have given birth to babies that have had Chlamydia that has been passed on by the mother while being vaginally delivered.
These women have not known that they had Chlamydia and feel a sense of guilt and anger that the fact they never knew which could hhave been prevented and that they had passed this on to their baby.

Chlamydia could potentially be fatal to a baby if left untreated, It can cause the baby to have very bad eye infections ( inclusion conjunctivitis) from being exposed to the mothers infected vaginal fluids, it could lead to an infection in the respiratory tract, causing infant pneumonia which if this isn't then picked up could lead to respiratory failure. A women who is infected increases the risk of her waters breaking prematurely, causing the baby to also be born early.

This is why it is important for me to get this changed. It costs the NHS less to test the mother before baby arrives, to what it does when both mother and baby need treating with antibiotics. the stress and suffering of seeing a poorly baby should be enough to ensure that every mother is given every right to ensure her health is well before her baby enters the world and be given a right to a healthy baby. Its not fair on the little babies
Some hospitals do do this but its not a necessary screen nationally, which is why we need this to be a national screening process. Women asume that they have been tested, but its not always the case for a lot of pregnant women.

Please support this campaign. I want this changed nationally so it becomes apart of the antenatal screening process and Public health and the uk NSC to make a decision in making this possible.
Please sign..

England

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Updates

2017-03-10 19:16:45 +0000

10 signatures reached