Boots pharmacies have handed out over 6,000 chlamydia testing kits across London in the first month of a pilot scheme aimed at tackling the silent sex disease.
It is part of the National Chlamydia Screening Program which last year revealed as many as one in nine of 16-24 year-olds could have the disease. The trial was launched in November to encourage young people to be screened for the most common sexually transmitted disease in the UK.About 200 Boots stores in London have been providing the service. They handed out 6,387 kits during the first month of the initiative, which is funded by the Department of Health. Boots is delighted with the initial response to the NHS Chlamydia Screening program at Boots stores in London. The stores are poised to provide around 50,000 screenings a year using the over-the-counter tests. By making this free service available in pharmacies on the high street, people will find it easier to call in for a screening test - helping to speed up both the detection and treatment of chlamydia in people who might not have otherwise come forward for testing.
