How is chlamydia spread?
Chlamydia can be spread during oral, vaginal or anal sexual contact with an infected partner. In addition, chlamydial infection may affect a newborn baby. A baby who is exposed to C. trachomatis in the birth canal during delivery may develop an eye infection or pneumonia. Symptoms of conjunctivitis (or pink eye ) usually develop within the first 10 days of life and include discharge and swollen eyelids. Symptoms of pneumonia, such as congestion and a cough that gets steadily worse, most often develop within three to six weeks of birth. Because of these risks to the newborn, many doctors recommend that all pregnant women be tested for chlamydial infection.
