Gonorrhea Essay -- STD Sexually Transmitted Disease

Approximately 1 million new cases of this disease are reported each year in the United States, and public health experts estimate that an additional million or more gonorrhea infections go unreported each year. Although these numbers seem very large, the disease occurs less frequently now than it did in the early 1980s. The rate of infection among young unmarried people between the ages of 15 and 24, however it remains very high. Study results released in 1988 by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Health Policy estimate that $ 1 billion is now being spent each year in the United States for the diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria. It is almost always spread through sexual activity involving direct contact with mucous membranes. It is readily transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse. The cervix, the urinary tract, the mouth, and the rectum provide ideal points of entry for the disease. In woman, the most common site of infection is the cervix . In men , it is the uretha . The infection can be spread from a man’s penis to the throat of his sex partner , it is much less likely that a man will contract or spread the disease by performing oral sex on a female partner . This disease can also be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth The greatest danger for the newborn is blindness , but this can be prevented by placing a few drops of sil...