Androscoggin County has the highest chlamydia rate in the state, and at least one health organization is concerned.

Tri-County Health Services, which runs a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Auburn, offers testing and treatment for chlamydia. Because the sexually transmitted disease can progress without symptoms and cause sterility in both men and women, Tri-County Health Services is trying to get people to take the disease seriously and get tested.

“You can’t always tell what your partner’s doing,” said Sara Hayes, clinical director.

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. Symptoms, including discharge, can be mild or non-existent. If left untreated, chlamydia can damage reproductive systems.

Except for a slight drop in 2001, cases have increased in Maine every year for the past decade.

In 2006, just over 2,300 cases were reported, almost three quarters of which were in people under 25 years old. More than 70 percent were women.

Androscoggin County had 317 cases and the highest rate in the state, 293 cases per 100,000 people.

So far, this year’s numbers don’t look any better. According to the Maine Centers for Disease Control, Maine’s chlamydia cases have increased 21 percent over this time last year.

The state’s chlamydia rate now stands at 102 cases per 100,000 people for the first half of 2007. In Androscoggin County it’s 183 cases per 100,000 people.

Although Maine’s chlamydia rate is one of the lowest in the country, Tri-County Health Services is still concerned about Androscoggin County’s numbers.

“If you’re one of the people who gets it, no matter what the rate is, it still can be very dangerous,” Hayes said.

Chlamydia is found through urine tests and is treated with antibiotics. Unlike other sexually transmitted infections, chlamydia goes away once it’s treated.

Tri-County Health Services has offices in Auburn, Farmington, Norway, Rumford and Porter, with a sexually transmitted disease clinic on Main Street in Auburn. The clinic offer ssome free testing. It also accepts insurance and MaineCare, and charges fees on a sliding scale.