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FACT OR FICTION: THE TRUTHS ABOUT GONORRHEA

Gonorrhea is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted disease. In the United States alone, some 600,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported each year, with only approximately half reported to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

But despite these, most still do not know the real deal with gonorrhea. There are still an abundance of falsehoods concerning the disease making it important for one to know the truth. Here are the basic gonorrhea facts:

Gonorrhea, more commonly known as “the clap”, is a curable disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a kind of bacteria that thrives in damp and humid areas of the reproductive region such as the cervix and the fallopian tubes for women and in the urethra for men.

Sexual intercourse is almost always the means of getting gonorrhea but it can also spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.

Once infected, symptoms typically appear two to seven days after the infection.

Discharge of pus from the urethra is perhaps the most well known symptom of gonorrhea especially in men. Interestingly, one of the more fascinating gonorrhea facts is that this symptom is where the term gonorrhea comes from. Gonorrhea comes from the Greek word gonórrhoia literally meaning “seed flow”, a phrase from the false belief that the discharged pus contains semen.

Gonorrhea symptoms in men include: a burning sensation accompanies urination, which becomes frequent and the passage of urine becomes blocked making urination painful.

On the other hand, Gonorrhea symptoms in women are not as apparent. Even if symptoms do turn up, they can be so non-specific that they can mistaken for other infections. Women with gonorrhea suffer symptoms of excruciating sensation when urinating, an upsurge of vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods.

SOME MORE GONORRHEA FACTS TO HELP YOU DISTINGUISH TRUTH FROM THE MYTHS:

Myth: Gonorrhea spreads only through ejaculation.

Fact: Ejaculation is not necessary in contracting gonorrhea. On the contrary, it can proliferate even only through sexual contact with an infected person’s penis, vagina, rectum and/or the mouth. It can also spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy.

Myth: One is not at risk of gonorrhea in an oral sex.

Fact: Although gonorrhea is most of the time contacted through anal or vaginal intercourse, gonorrhea can be as easily transferred from an infected individual to another through oral sex. Gonorrhea is a bacterial disease; hence it can be transmitted through contact, which in this case is between a person’s mouth with his/her partner’s infected genital.

Myth: There are more teens infected with gonorrhea than do sexually active people in older age groups.

Fact: Sadly, this myth is true. Furthermore, this is the most alarming among all the gonorrhea facts mentioned. Gonorrhea is most widespread among teens aged 15-19 as compared to any other age group and the rate of infection is rising in recent years.

Now these gonorrhea facts may be disturbing, but it is important to know that gonorrhea can be cured successfully through antibiotics. Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, cefixime, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and ofloxacin are administered in single doses and are generally the most effective in curing gonorrhea. However, it is essential to note that there are strains of gonorrheal bacteria that are becoming resistant against the use of antibiotics.

These gonorrhea facts aim to help in the avoidance of the spread of this sexually-transmitted disease. Knowing is half the battle against gonorrhea and its best cure is none other than its prevention.