Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:633;Page:5299] 
11.  
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Has he received any reports indicating that the chlamydia epidemic may be much more widespread than previously estimated; if so does he intend to increase surveillance on chlamydia? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes I have received a report on chlamydia from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research. The report states that the total number of confirmed and probable chlamydia cases has increased a lot—by almost 40 percent if one looks at reports coming in from sexual health clinics and it has almost doubled if one looks at reports coming in from family planning clinics and student and youth health clinics. That is in the 5-year period ended December 2005 and is quite a big increase. 
Barbara Stewart 
: How often does the ministry review the list of notifiable conditions and is there any intention to make chlamydia a notifiable disease; if not why not? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I do not know the answer to the first question. Making chlamydia notifiable in my view is not the most important thing to do. I think the most important thing to do is to increase surveillance as the member suggested in her primary question. There is some indication that some of the tests may not be as good as they could be; so we have to look at that. Then we need to progress the treatment. This disease is easily treated. A person needs to take two tablets once. In the case of sexual health centres those tablets are available on site; no prescription is needed. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Has the Minister in line with historical and international precedents put in place statistical capture to establish whether a link may exist between the chlamydia epidemic and the re-emergence of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases and the legalisation of prostitution; if not will he act on this suggestion? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The member draws a series of long bows but the short answer to his question is no. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Would he concede that his ministry should at least put in place routine antenatal testing for chlamydia in order to protect new-born babies against the unnecessary risk of eye and lung disease? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Yes I do. I think that where an expectant mother accesses general practitioner services—for example in the first triennium—chlamydia testing is close to routine. The problem is that not all pregnant women do access their general practitioner which is why maternity services are under review and a discussion paper is being looked at now. 
Barbara Stewart 
: What action if any has his ministry taken following the recommendation of the Family Planning Association at the conclusion of a screening pilot funded in part by the Ministry of Health that routine screening for chlamydia should be made available? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Routine screening for chlamydia is available. The question is whether it should be opportunistic or whether it should be left to the individual. It seems to me that there is a case for moving it to opportunistic by which I mean that a person is offered chlamydia screening proactively even though the person fronted up to the doctor or the sexual health clinic for some other reason.