gonorrhoea – a curable sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhae.
Gonorrohoea is acclaimed to be the world’s most commonly reported Sexually Transmitted Infection, STI. Also known as Veneral Disease, VD, “gentleman’s disease”, the “clap”, or the “drip”, it infects thousands yearly, although more unreported cases are also believed to occur each year. It can be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth and the newborn babies normally show symptoms in their eyes during the first two weeks. The eyes become red and swollen, and have a thick, pus-like discharge.
Gonorrhoea can cause rectal disorder in men and painful or swollen testicles in men. In women it causes blockage of fallopian tubes which eventually lead to infertility. In babies it can cause blindness. It can affect so many organs of the body. Experts say any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhoea, yet nearly 75 percent of all reported cases is found in individuals 15 to 29 years old.
They say the most common symptoms of gonorrhoea are a discharge from the external sex organs and painful or difficult urination. It can infect the genital tract, the mouth, and the rectum. In women, the cervix and uterus can be the first place of infection, with the disease later spreading to the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease, PID, that affects more women each year and can cause ectopic pregnancies and infertility in as many as 10 percent of infected women.
Investigations show that the highest rates of gonorrhoea infection are found in 15- to 19-year-old women and 20- to 24-year-old men. When someone is diagnosed with gonorrhoea, they must tell all of their sexual partners, because they needed to get tested and then treated if infected, whether or not they had symptoms of infection.
As a sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhoea is often under-diagnosed. It is important to try to practice safe sex and to see a doctor if any symptoms appear. Left untreated they can cause fertility problems and have other unpleasant long-term effects. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, women have a 60-80 percent risk of contracting the disease after a one-night stand.
While symptoms depend on which part of the body is infected, the infection is asymptomatic in 50 percent of female carriers, so it can easily be passed along unknowingly. Left untreated, the STI can trigger chronic pelvic pain, pregnancy complications, and even infertility in women and an increased risk of contracting HIV.
In recent times, several cases of the disorder have defied treatment following emergence of multi-drug resistance in the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea, to a range of normal and special strength antibiotics. In recent years, effective treatment options for the newest strain of drug-resistant gonorrhoea have dwindled to injectable antibiotic called Cefriazoxone.
Though treatable, are becoming increasingly serious problem in developing countries. The availability of antibiotics in chemists’ shops is believed to be encouraging self-medication with sub-therapeutic doses and inadequate treatment regimens.
Physicians speak
Consultant Physician, Department of Surgery, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Benin City, Edo State, Dr. Edwin Obarisiagbon, notes that gonorrhoea patients will have pains and may be discharging pus from the urethra. For the ladies usually they may not have symptoms but over time they develop complications like the blockage of the fallopian tubes (connection between the root of the womb and the ovaries) and this one will eventually lead to infertility. For the men, the urethra becomes narrowed such that the patient may not be able to urinate properly.
Gonorrhoea is said to be dangerous in the sense that like the women they may become infertile because the diseases has caused blockage the tube that connects the womb to the ovary. For men it can give a life- long disease. That the urethra becomes very narrow and they will have problem with passing urine.
Often times it may not manifest immediately, and may take years before the complications will arise. It will just be there but the patient will not know he has contacted the disease especially if he not treat the disease or it was poorly treated. The complications may take up to 10 years in men or beyond before manifesting. Some people will go to chemist and the infection gets better and after that time the infection will continue to destroy organs of the body.
As soon he notices he is bleeding, he should see a doctor. Complications can be treated if the disease is treated early and well. Obarisiagbon says gonorrhoea is not treated in isolation. “We treat other STIs along with gonorrhoea. It may take five to seven days. On its own it can be treated with a single dose.” On drug resistance, he said it is advised that before “statrting any treatment, a culture and sensitivity test based on symptoms should give high index of suspicion and we will start treatment.
“Often times it works but if not, we use a stronger drug. The symptoms will then disappear. Most times we see the complicated cases who either did not turn up for treatment or were never treated at all or those who were not properly treated. The prevalence is not on the rise. We see about three or so cases in months and most of them are complicated.
Most of the patients live in denial because some even when you questioned them they say they had it in the past while some will keep on denying they ever has it until we discover they did have it in the past. But we have to go ahead with the treatment. On prevention, Obarisiagbon said: “You cannot prevent people from having sex but the bet is prevention. There is need for people to use condom to protect against infections. And we also advise that patients should go to physicians who will treat them properly because more problems may present later.
They should also know that they may be at risk of contracting HIV. Generally health education is very important for patients. If a patient is immediately and adequately treated the disease can be cured and the complications averted,” he advised. Explaining the procedure for the treatment of gonorrhoea in the hospital, Chief of Urology and Head,   Department of Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, Lagos, Dr. Kehinde Habeeb Tajani,   said treatment begins with proper diagnosis.
“Most times, what people call gonorrhoea isn’t gonorrhoea. But once we are sure it is gonorrhoea, the treatment is default, Just antibiotics only. “You must be sure that it is gonorrhoea. Gonorrhoea is treated with antibiotics and there are different types of antibiotics. Some may just be a one dose treatment; others have to be used over a few days, the key thing is to be sure that it is gonorrhoea,” he stated.
Confirming the issue of resistance of the bacteria to common antibiotics, Tijani said gonorrhoea has been around for hundreds of years and there are some drugs that the bacteria were sensitive to before, and are no longer sensitive to, particularly penicillin and so on. Despite that, there are also many new drugs that the causative organism is very sensitive to. That is proven.”
Speaking of the incidence of gonorrhoea at LUTH, Tijani said it is not as common as it used to be in the past. “The incidence has drastically reduced worldwide and one of the major reasons for this is the widespread anti-HIV campaign that encourages people to wear condoms. That is the most likely reason why it is not so common, and of course the ready availability of antibiotics. The incidence has drastically reduced worldwide not just in Nigeria.”
Local traditional healers: On the local traditional healers, he said it is a societal thing and not just for gonorrhoea, and also one of the major reasons why there are so many complications of the disease. The complications can be really devastating ranging from infertility in mean and women, inability to pass urine because of poorely treated gonorrhoea.
My own advise will always be, go and see a medical practitioner. Most times what pepole thing is gonorrhoea is not gonorrhoea. Its diagnosis is with the swab of the discharge from the male organ examined and you find the causative bacteria there. If you do not find it, it is not likely to be gonorrhoea. People should go to the doctor so that they have the right diagnosis made.
Stigma in the hospital: Tijani argues that it is possible there may be some stigma about gonorrhoea, but says the most important thing for the individual is to look at the opportunity cost. “It is very wrong to stigmatise somebody with gonorrhoea as it can happen to anybody because occasionally one can pick the bacteria even from the toilet seat. If you look at the complications, I can tell you they are truly, truly devastating for the unlucky man or woman.
“The so-called fear of stigma should be insignificant. I have not noticed that in our own practice here probably because we’ve seen worse cases. Somebody coming with gonorrhoea as far as we are concerned is like somebody coming with malaria. If anybody is stigmatised, that’s unfortunate. I can say that in our practice here we do not do that and I can vouch for a lot of my colleagues.
Prevention: The most important thing is being reasonable. Practice safe sex, If you have symptoms that make you suspect you have picked up an infection that could be an STI, please go to a hospital. If you are not comfortable with the attention, you can go to a teaching hospital which are readily available and be sure that you are goi ng to have expert care.
Untreated gonorrhoea, particularly in women could cause a lot of damage. , many have it and not know and that is when it is most dangerous. It could cause a lot of damage without them realising it. The best thing is to go to and have treatment at a standard medical centre. Good Health Weekly went on the trail of a traditional healer who claims to have encountered and treated cases of gonorrhoea.
Mr Abdulfatai Yakubu of of Aladuba Herbal Medicine, Lagos, said before the advent of Western medicine, there were local ways of treating such diseases. In a chat he disclosed some of the traditional approaches towards taking care of such ailments. “When people come with this sickness, we have our ways of knowing it is gonorrhea, even without carrying out a test. The issue of gonorrhoea has been in existence before the arrival of Western way of treatment, and we treated it effectively.
Further, Yakubu explained: “Detecting gonorrhoea in the traditional way is very easy as it can present with different signs. When it is about to start in some people they will experience pain around their abdomen. “Some may feel something moving around in their sex organ when trying to urinate. But if left unattended for about four days, the person will be really feeling uncomfortable anytime he tries to urinate and it may soon result in discharge of pus.
“ As the condition gets worse, blood may be discharged along with the urine and by then the person will begin to lose weight.” It affects both men and women and if left untreated in women may lead to irregular menstruation and in some cases cause delay in pregnancy. In the man, there could be low sperm count and cause premature ejaculation.
Yakubu said the traditional healing is differentiated from the Western treatment because herbs are engaged in the former. “Treating gonorrhoea in my herbal home involves combination of herbs prepared with water and roots in form of powder. The powder can be taken with with pap or warm water.
“I give people this mixture and tell them to use it morning and night, by the time they return the following day they must have some level of relief. Some people take it for six days, others 10 days. There are people who after treatment require some herbs to take occasionally for protection.”

Cc: lalasticlala



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/gonorrhoea-silent-rage-of-a-forgotten-disease/

Hmmmm

Who get time to read this long epistle

lumzybo:
Who get time to read this long epistle

For ur qood

Gonorrhea symptoms vary in both men and women. Gonorrhea is also called the "drip" or "clap," Click on the link below to read more.
http://www.gigihealth.com/gonorrhea-symptoms-how-do-i-know-if-i-have-gonorrhea/