Wednesday 19 November 2008
Free online postal Chlamydia testing kits for young people
All young people will be able to order free Chlamydia testing kits online at www.freetest.me.uk as part of a time-limited pilot project between Brook, the young people’s sexual health charity, and Preventx.
Through the freetest.me website young people can enter their postcode and order a free Chlamydia test. For about half of the country this will be through their local Primary Care Trust and Brook is then supporting areas where there is no free NHS option so that all young people have access to free online Chlamydia tests as part of the pilot.
Young people can choose how they would like to receive their results; by SMS, email or online results tracking, all in complete confidence. Chlamydia is easily diagnosed and treated although often has no symptoms and if left untreated can lead to fertility problems.
Simon Blake, Brook’s Chief Executive, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting the freetest.me service so that all young people can access free online Chlamydia tests wherever they live. For too long there has been a gap in the provision of free online Chlamydia testing with less than half of all young people being able to order a free Chlamydia test online.”
To visit the freetest.me website please visit www.freetest.me.uk or www.brook.org.uk.
For media enquiries please contact Brook’s press office on 020 7284 6062 or 07500 786 762
Notes to editors
Brook is the UK’s leading provider of sexual health services and advice for young people under 25. The charity has more than 40 years’ experience of working with young people and currently has a network of more than 50 services in 18 areas of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Jersey.
Brook services provide free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and outreach and education work, reaching more than 210,000 young people every year. www.brook.org.uk.
