A man in the United Kingdom has been diagnosed with “super gonorrhea” that is resistant to the main antibiotic treatment for “regular” gonorrhea and other commonly used antibiotics. So what does this mean for North Dakota and students? It means that the use of barrier protection is necessary when having any type of sexual intercourse.
Gonorrhea is transmitted through vaginal, oral and anal sex. Men and women between the ages of 20 and 24 years old are the most at risk age group for gonorrhea in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2016, North Dakota had 132 reported cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 people and Minnesota had 93 reported cases per 100,000 people.
Overall, North Dakota had 1,000 cases of gonorrhea in 2016 and Minnesota had 5,104 cases.
Gonorrhea is a mandated reportable disease in North Dakota and has to be reported to the North Dakota Department of Health.
Only 55.9 percent of cases are susceptible to antibiotic treatment in 2016. The U.K. man is being treated with one antibiotic, but testing is needed to confirm if the treatment worked.
Females typically have mild to no symptoms, and if left untreated it can cause infertility and health problems in males and females.
The North Dakota Department of Health reports that symptoms in females can “include vaginal discharge, burning or pain during urination or bowel movement, lower abdominal pain, bleeding between menstrual periods or anal discomfort” and male symptoms can include “discharge from the penis, burning or pain during urination or bowel movement or anal discomfort.”
There are no symptoms reported with oral gonorrhea infections. Antibiotics are used to treat gonorrhea, and a person can become reinfected after they have been treated.
The residence halls typically supply condoms at the offices. The student health center also has free condoms and other protective barriers that students can use.
If you have multiple sexual partners or don’t use barrier protection, you should go in annually to get tested for gonorrhea.