NOS News•today, 09:01
The number of people infected with the venereal disease gonorrhea continues to increase explosively. Last year, the number of people diagnosed with the disease grew by 31 percent, the year before that number had already increased by 33 percent. In total, there were 13,853 cases in 2023.
According to the RIVM, the increase among women is particularly large: the number of diagnoses increased from 1468 to 2598, an increase of 78 percent. The increase of 51 percent was also striking among heterosexual men, from 666 cases to 1,007. In general, the disease is most commonly diagnosed in men who have sex with men.
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium, which can lead to infections in, for example, the urethra, rectum, epididymis and cervix. An infection can be treated, but the disease is also easy to prevent by using a condom. The RIVM calls it important that infected people warn their bed partners as soon as possible.
Women have to be careful
Previously, RIVM doctor Rosa Joosten warned that women in particular should be alert to possible infection. “It is even more contagious for women and they often do not experience any symptoms. This makes it more difficult to recognize. This can also have consequences later, such as making it more difficult to get pregnant.”
Although the RIVM has not yet mentioned a cause for the increase, Joosten previously saw a connection with the declining use of condoms among young people. They would also downplay the risk of venereal disease because treatments are available.
The RIVM figures show that other STDs have remained fairly stable. Chlamydia is still the most common STD with 24,048 cases, but the number of infections decreased slightly. Syphilis rose by 8 percent and HIV remained virtually the same.
