Health:GONORRHOEA-

a preventable sickness Gonorrhoea is one of the oldest known sexually transmitted diseases. Before it was considered to be a punishment given to people for their sins. Later on the microbes called as Neiserria gonorrhoeae were identified and found to be responsible for causing the infection. These are very tiny bean shaped germs which occur in pairs. The general public impression is that diseases like gonorrhoea occur only in the people of lower strata of society. But this is a wrong impression.There are cases occurring among the rich affluent and educated people also if they are not careful. This is a disease which is acquired and transmitted through unprotected sexual activity, hence men and women both are affected A single unprotected act is enough to infect a person. It is more visibly manifest in men as a painful urethral discharge also called as,” bon jour drop”, as it is more in morning. Along with this, there is pain during passing urine. In women it usually manifests as painful urination with no discharge. The infection can spread to other surrounding areas causing inflammation of other surrounding parts like vas deferens, penis, testes, e.t.c. Urethral stricture is a fairly common sequel in men due to gonorrhoea. This causes retention of urine frequently and necessitates dilatation of the urethra (outlet of urine from bladder to exterior) many times. In women it can result in inflammation of the tubes and uterine cervix. In both the genders gonorrhoea becomes a cause for sterility. The germs of gonorrhoea can travel from the genital parts via the blood stream infecting the joints. The affected joint becomes swollen and painful. The eyes can become infected by a finger contaminated by the discharge leading to conjunctivitis. This manifests as redness and swelling of the eyes with a mucopurulent discharge. Left untreated it can result in blindness. Rarely gonorrhoea can infect the brain causing meningitis or encephalopathy. This manifests as loss of consciousness and other neurological disturbances. Due to the genital discharge, one has a greater risk of acquiring HIV infection. If gonorrhoea occurs during pregnancy it can lead to perinatal distress and fetal death. There can also be premature rupture of membranes and premature delivery. The new born baby can develop infection of the eyes (opthalmia neonatorum) which can result in permanent blindness. Apart from these children born to mothers having gonorrhoea can develop neonatal sepsis. Thus it can be seen that something which can be preventable can cause so much distress, if one is not cautious enough. Diagnosis of gonorrhoea is confirmed by a simple microscopic examination of the urethral discharge which reveals the bacteria. This examination also differentiates the illness from other germs causing urethritis like Chlamydia. Treatment is by means of a suitable antibiotic like ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, e.t.c. Gonorrhoea like any other sexually transmitted disease can be prevented by simply using a condom. Long term ideal protection lies in staying faithful to one partner for life. But for reasons best known to them many educated people also ignore these precautions. The others who are ignorant do not know about the hazards of unprotected sex. Some people think that after being treated once for gonorrhoea, they are safe from the disease. It is not so. Treatment taken for one episode of the illness treats that episode only. It does not offer any protection from subsequent infections. Hence a person is at risk of infection whenever exposed again. In fact the risk is present as number of times as one indulges in unprotected sex. I have come across men who have taken treatment for this disease not once but number of times. But just by taking simple precautions one can avoid all suffering caused by gonorrhoea. E-mail-rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk