Gonorrhea
Gonococcal Infection (clap, drip)
What is gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is an infection that is spread through sexual contact with
another person. The gonorrhea germs are found in the mucous areas of
the body (the vagina, penis, throat and rectum).
Who gets gonorrhea?
Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. Most often,
gonorrhea is found in younger people (ages 15-30) who have multiple
sex partners. Gonorrhea is reported more frequently from urban areas
than from rural areas.
How is gonorrhea spread?
Gonorrhea is spread through sexual contact. This includes penis to
vagina, penis to mouth, penis to rectum and mouth to vagina contact.
Gonorrhea can also be spread from mother to child during birth.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Men infected with gonorrhea will have burning while urinating and
a yellowish white discharge from the penis. Those few women with symptoms
will have a discharge from the vagina and possibly some burning while
urinating. Infections in the throat and rectum cause few symptoms.
How soon do symptoms appear?
In males, symptoms usually appear two to seven days after infection
but it can take as long as 30 days for symptoms to begin. Often, there
are no symptoms for people infected with gonorrhea; 10 to 15 percent
of men and about 80 percent of women may have no symptoms. People with
no symptoms are at risk for developing complications to gonorrhea. These
people also spread this infection unknowingly.
When and for how long is a person able to spread gonorrhea?
From the time a person is infected with gonorrhea, he or she can spread
the disease. A person can continue to spread the infection until properly
treated.
Does past infection with gonorrhea make a person immune?
Past infection does not make a person immune to gonorrhea. Previous
infections with gonorrhea may allow complications to occur more rapidly.
What is the treatment for gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is treated with penicillin or other antibiotics in pill
form or by injection into the buttocks. All strains of gonorrhea are
curable but this disease is becoming more and more resistant to many
standard medications.
What happens if gonorrhea goes untreated?
If a person is not treated for gonorrhea, there is a good chance complications
will occur. Women frequently suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease
(PID), a painful condition that occurs when the infection spreads throughout
the reproductive organs. PID can lead to sterilization in females. Men
may suffer from swelling of the testicles and penis. Both sexes may
suffer from arthritis, skin problems and other organ infections caused
by the spread of gonorrhea within the body.
What can be done to prevent the spread of gonorrhea?
Sexual relations should be approached responsibly.
- Limit the number of your sex partners.
- Use a condom.
- If you think you are infected, avoid any sexual contact and visit
a local sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, hospital or your
doctor.
- Bring your sex partners with you to the clinic or doctor so that
they can be treated.
Updated: April 1996
Source: NY State Department of Health
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