What is Gonorrhea?

Gonorrhoea (gone-o-RHEE-a) is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Gonorrhoea is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is caused by bacteria called a gonococcus, which thrives in warm moist places and dies in less than a minute outside the body.

It can cause sterility, arthritis, and heart problems. In women, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can result in the woman becoming sterile.
 

Symptoms: Women (sometimes no symptoms)

  • An unusual vaginal discharge of green or yellow-green puss that is irritating to the clitoris

  • Bleeding associated with vaginal intercourse

  • Burning sensation when urinating

 

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  • Mushroom like smell.

  • A continuous low back pain or vague pain in the lower stomach

  • It can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can affect future fertility

Men

  • Yellow discharge from the penis
 

Effects

In untreated gonorrhoea infections, the bacteria can spread up into the reproductive tract, or more rarely, can spread through the blood stream and infect the joints, heart valves, or the brain.

Rarely, untreated gonorrhoea can spread through the blood to the joints. This can cause an inflammation of the joints, which is very serious.

If you are infected with gonorrhoea, your risk of getting HIV infection increases (HIV, human immuno deficiency virus, causes AIDS). Therefore, it is extremely important for you to either prevent yourself from getting gonorrhoea or get treated early if you already are infected with it.
 

How it is spread?

It is almost always spread by sexual contact though it is possible to transfer it from discharge on the hands, especially to the eyes. Infected women also can pass gonorrhoea to their newborn infants during delivery, causing eye infections in their babies. This complication is rare because newborn babies receive eye medicine to prevent infection. When the infection occurs in the genital tract, mouth, or rectum of a child, it is due most commonly to sexual abuse.

Up to 60% of women infected with gonorrhoea do not notice any discomfort
for the first few weeks or even months of the disease.

Diagnosis

  • Examination of the vagina or the penis

  • Swabs are taken of the vagina or penis

Doctors use urine or cervical swabs for a new test that detects the genes of the bacteria. These tests are as accurate or more so than culturing the bacteria, and many doctors use them.

How is it treated?

Treatment is a high dose of penicillin taken orally. Penicillin works very quickly when it is given in this way. If you are allergic to penicillin you will be offered an alternative antibiotic in tablet form. It is important to finish the course of tablets or you may encourage the growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Early detection is essential to avoid becoming sterile.
 

How to avoid getting Gonorrhoea

  • By using latex condoms correctly and consistently during sexual intercourse

  • Refrain from having numerous sexual partners

Where to get treated for Gonorrhoea

An appointment to a STD clinic is urgent. A full screening for other sexually transmitted diseases would be advisable. Partners must also be treated.