"The bacteria can cause the tubes to narrow. It destroys the inner lining of the fallopian tube, which is what transports both the sperm and egg or ovum in order to facilitate the fertilisation process. If anything blocks the process, then it will cause infertility," says Prof Kamau.
He noted that the narrowing of fallopian tubes due to chlamydia because of inflammation and attachment (fimbria phimosis) is also the same with gonococcus (bacteria that causes gonorrhoea).
According to the fertility expert, infertility due to tubal damage is the most common, with nearly 80 per cent, chlamydia being the leading cause. Other causes of infertility include gonorrhoea, and infections as a result of unsafe abortions, endometriosis, and adenomyosis.
Prof Kamau explains that chlamydia is dangerous because its growth is insidious (slow) and imperceptible (not easily detected). Most patients are diagnosed at an adverse stage.
"Unlike gonorrhoea, when the pain comes, it is severe and therefore easy to look for attention," says Prof Kamau.
Immunological tests can detect the antigens (components of chlamydia), but they do not necessarily detect active disease.
"Chlamydia has been marked by mystery, yet it is extremely common, but it is married by the fact that its effects are insidious until tissues get attached together. It often blows up in society without announcing its presence," he says.