GONORRHOEA: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
It is an unpleasant sounding word, and it’s not much fun to have.
Since the introduction of penicillin, an antibiotic which has been used to treat gonorrhoea, this bug has slunk out of the limelight. Perhaps people feel it isn’t a problem any more, because it is treatable, but it is soil lurking out there, menacing an unsuspecting population.
The Australian heterosexual community has a relatively low incidence of gonorrhoea. It is more prevalent in the male homosexual and bisexual population, and in parts of Asia. This is where some Australian men contract the disease, having unprotected sex with prostitutes. Then they bring it home.
A good reason for not getting it (in case you needed one), is that in women it can not only cause pain and discomfort, it has the ability (like chlamydia) to block up the fallopian tubes, which can interfere with fertility.
One nasty trick it has developed is penicillin resistance. This means that the antibiotics which were successful against the bacteria in the past do not always work now, and different drugs are often needed.
Gonorrhoea can be spread by vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse, and is fairly contagious.
Diagnosis. Swabs taken from the cervix (in the same way as a pap smear), the anus and the throat will show the bugs if they are there. Men also require a swab from the penis. The laboratory should be able to identify if the strain of gonorrhoea isolated is one of the penicillin-resistant ones. It is wise to check for other STDs at the same time, as they often travel together.
Treatment. Even though penicillin may no longer always be effective, fortunately there are other antibiotics which are. A full course of the appropriate antibiotic (based on the results of the lab tests) must be taken by the infected person, AND by any person(s) with whom they have had recent sexual contact. You should not have sexual intercourse until you and your sexual partner(s) are fully treated.
It is extremely important for this infection, and all sexually transmitted diseases, that the contacts who are at risk are also notified. It is also important that follow up swabs after treatment are taken to confirm that all the bugs have been killed.
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Tags: Women’s Health