At birth, babies can get eye infections during their passage through the vagina of infected mothers, resulting in blindness.
Sharmishta was shattered. Her doctor said her fallopian tubes were blocked and it would be difficult for her to become pregnant. He added that most probable culprit for the problem was Gonorrhea.
“But doctor, I took some medicines when I had the vaginal discharge,” she cried. Unfortunately, Sharmishta was infected with a drug-resistant Gonococcus, nicknamed ‘Super Bug.’ Gonorrhea is a disease produced by the bacterium called Neisseria Gonorrhea. It is mainly spread by genital intercourse. Rarely, kissing and use of soiled towels can also be the route of spread. Only about 20% of infected women show symptoms and signs of the disease. In both genders, long-standing infection can invade the bloodstream and affect many body organs.
Globally, the WHO estimates that at least 340 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections—including Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Trichomoniasis—are detected every year among people aged 15 to 49. The highest incidences of Gonorrhea are in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Infected persons will have a watery/greenish/yellow discharge from the genitals. Left untreated, inadequately treated or inappropriately treated, it will lead to complications, sometimes serious. In men the testes may be damaged, making them infertile. In women it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, blocked fallopian tubes and infertility
At birth, babies can get eye infections during their passage through the vagina of infected mothers, resulting in blindness.
Earlier the infection could be easily cured by a single antibiotic. However, according to Catherine Ison, a Gonorrhea specialist from Britain’s Health Protection Agency, strains of the Neisseria Gonorrhea bacteria were starting to become resistant, and could soon become impervious, to all current antibiotic treatment options. Instances of Gonorrhea being resistant to multiple drugs—the definition of a ‘Super Bug—have started to appear in Japan, where health authorities had decided to stick with the same antibiotic to treat the disease but up the dose.
Tips to the Sexually Active:
· Prevention is better than cure
· Avoid casual sex
· If you have to, then stick to a steady partner
· Use a condom
· Look for discharge or sores on the partner’s genitals
· Wash genitals before and after sex
· Urinate immediately after sex
· Seek medical help at the first symptom
The writer is a sexologist. Mail him at dr.narayana@deccanmail.com
