NEW YORK, NY September 19, 2006 —A new city pilot program to test for and treat Chlamydia and gonorrhea at five Brooklyn and Bronx high schools found high rates of the sexually transmitted diseases. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

Researchers tested 11-hundred students in neighborhoods where chlamydia and gonorrhea are known to be relatively widespread. About 8 percent of girls and 2 percent of boys had chlamydia, the more common of the two diseases. Those percentages are more than two times higher than the city average for adolescents and more than five times higher than nation-wide. Dr. Susan Blank, from the Health Department, says it’s not clear why the rates are so high. But she says the two diseases are highly treatable.

"With 1 pill, we can eliminate infection, with either Chlamydia or gonorrhea. And it’s really wonderful that we’re able to nip that in the bud."

Neither Chlamydia nor gonorrhea is deadly in the short run, but people who get them face a number of long-term complications and are extremely vulnerable to HIV. The Health Department hopes to expand the testing and treating regimen to all of the city's sexually active teens. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.