Gonorrhoea is caused by bacteria. It can infect the throat, vagina, lining of the penis, rectum or eye. It is passed easily from one person to another through sexual contact.
16–34 year old make up just over a quarter of Northern Ireland’s population yet account for most cases of gonorrhoea.
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Symptoms
The symptoms of gonorrhoea may include:
- a discharge from the vagina, penis or rectum;
- pain when passing urine;
- anal pain or bleeding.
There may be no signs, especially when infection is in the throat or rectum.
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Testing
It is important you attend a GUM clinic for treatment of gonorrhoea because it has become resistant to some antibiotic treatments. It’s currently treated with an injection and antibiotic tablet.
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Vaccination
Currently, vaccination to protect against gonorrhoea is not available in Northern Ireland.
However, in the future, a targeted vaccination programme is planned to protect those at highest risk.
The MenB vaccine is part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule to protect against meningococcal meningitis. As meningococcal disease and gonorrhoea are closely related, evidence shows that the MenB vaccine provides good cross-protection against gonorrhoea.
When introduced, the vaccination programme will focus on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men who are at increased risk.
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Complications
If treated early, gonorrhoea is unlikely to lead to any complications or long-term problems. However, without treatment, it can spread to other parts of your body and cause serious problems.
The more times you have gonorrhoea, the more likely you are to have complications.
In women, gonorrhoea can spread to the reproductive organs and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is estimated to occur in 10 to 20% of cases of untreated gonorrhoea.