Gonorrhea In Adolescents

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Once diagnosed, this infection is readily treated and curable with antibiotics but reinfections can and do occur. In females if this condition is left untreated, tubal infertility may result (CDC, 2016). Gonorrhea is second only to chlamydia in terms of reportable diseases. In the 2015 Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the cumulative incidence for the general population of the United States as 123.9 cases per 100,000 population (CDC, 2016). This rate is not distributed equally across age groups. Adolescents ages 15-19 have one of the highest rates of infection with 341.8
Newbern et al. conducted a retrospective cohort study that examined 75,273 adolescents and found higher rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the adolescents that had previously been infected with gonorrhea. This study also found that the more times an individual was infected with gonorrhea correlated with a increasing risk of contracting HIV (2013, p. 1876). These finding suggest that preventing gonorrhea infection may also protect against HIV infection later.
Gonorrhea in adolescents is a public health concern for the United States. Infection has consequences that can will continue to affect this population for the rest of their life. Efforts are needed to reduce barriers allowing identification and treatment of current cases and education to prevent future cases. Adolescents may face barrier that prevent them from pursuing testing and treatment of STIs. In American culture, stigma and shame are commonly associated with acquiring STIs. A 2002 study by Fortenberry et al. examined this stigma and shame and found that stigma may be acting as a barrier to individuals getting tested for both gonorrhea and HIV. Adolescents may feel that they will be stigmatized by getting tested for gonorrhea. Delay of testing and treatment will continue the spread of the bacterium and may result in infertility for adolescent
A 2015 retrospective cohort study examined the relationship between adolescent health education counseling and repeated infections of STIs. Patients in the intervention group were given one on one counseling at the time of STI diagnosis. At follow up, the researchers found that the intervention group was less likely to have a repeat diagnosed with a STI (In-iw, Braverman, Bates, & Biro). One on one counseling may not be feasible in all settings, including school-wide interventions, but these findings show that adolescents are receptive to education intervention