Gonorrhea Awareness

Greeting to you my amazing friends. Trusting God we all are doing good? The God's special grace, I'm doing good too.
Thanks @afzalqamar for organizing this contest on Gonorrhea Awareness.

Over the years, I've seen so many sick people bury themselves in shame instead of seeking for medical attention most especially when it's got to do with sickeness relating to sexually transmitted infections. Perhaps, they do so cos of how the society will tag them especially for persons with high reputation within the society.

But then, would you rather die in silence or seek for medical attention? Let's get to have more knowledge on Gonorrhea and it's effect when left untreated.

Source

What do you know about gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by a bacterium known as Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonorrhea primarily is transmitted via sexual contact, be it oral, vaginal or anal sex with an infected individual.
In some cases, Gonorrhea can also be transmitted from mother to child during child birth if the mother is infected and proper preventive care is not put in place.

Causes of gonorrhea

As earlier stated, gonorrhoeae primarily is a sexually transmitted infection. The primary cause is sexual contact.
Other underlying risk factors include; unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, mother-to-child transmission, previous history of sexually transmitted infections.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

The following are some of the major symptoms of Gonorrhea:

1. Painful urination
2. Abnormal discharge (usually thick greenish or yellowish) from the penis or vagina.
3. Abdominal pains usually in the lower region.
4. Pains and discomfort during sex.
5. Unusual bleeding between periods.

Effect of Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is left untreated or not properly treated, can have the following long term effects:

1. Pregnancy complications such as premature birth or low birth weight
2. Infertility in both men and women if left untreated.
3. Pelvic inflammatory disease, which is a serious infection of the reproductive organs.
4. In women, it causes inflammation of the following organs; cervix, urethra, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
5. In men, it causes inflammation of the following organs: urethra, epididymis, and prostate gland.
6. In some cases, untreated Gonorrhea can also cause arthritis.

How can we prevent and treat gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea can be prevented and treated in the following ways;

Prevention

1. Avoiding having multiple sexual partners.
2. Engaging in safe sex practices by the use of condoms.
3. Regular medical checkup and testing.

Treatment

1. Use of Antibiotics like azithromycin and ceftriaxone
2. Treatment of partner to curtail further spread of infection.

Why is it important to spread awareness about STI's?

It is very important to spread awareness about STI's because they can be life-threatening if left untreated. Had a couple of friends in such situations years ago. Had to sensitize them on the dangers of not seeking for proper medical attention cos I discovered they were ashamed of having such and don't want to visit a doctor. In their own words, "how can I open my penis and allow the Doctor to touch it, what if it's a female doctor?". Alas, I was able to educate them on the impeding damage they are trying to bring upon themselves. They also notified their partners about it and all received proper medical care.

Thanks for reading through. I'll also like my friends @ashley-p @vickyson and @owulama to tell us what the know about gonorrhea.