In total, the number of diagnoses rose to 13,853, according to figures from the RIVM, which is based on tests that people took at the sexual health centers of the GGD.
Gonorrhea is an STD that is caused by bacteria and can have unpleasant side effects. For example, in men the bacteria can result in infections of the urethra, rectum, throat and epididymis. Women are at risk of infections of the urethra, rectum, throat, cervix and fallopian tubes. Inflammation of the fallopian tubes increases the risk of infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
About the author
Jasper Daams is a general reporter for de Volkskrant.
The number of infections with the venereal disease increased explosively, particularly among women (78 percent) and heterosexual men (51 percent). Among men who have sex with men – the group where gonorrhea is still the most common – the number of diagnoses increased by 20 percent. The RIVM calls the increase among young women and young heterosexual men ‘remarkable’. According to the institute, this mainly concerns people with a high level of education, without a migration background.
Condom use among young people has decreased
The RIVM does not provide an explanation for the enormous increase in the number of gonorrhea infections. The fact is that condom use among young people has decreased in recent years, which cannot be seen separately from the enormous increase. While in 2017 three-quarters of young people used a condom for the first time (vaginal) sex, that number will have risen to two-thirds in 2023, according to research by Rutgers and Soa Aids Nederland. Moreover, the group of young people who do not use contraception at all is growing.
The solution is simple, according to the RIVM. “Use a condom,” is the advice on X. In this way, infection with the venereal disease is “easy to prevent,” the health institute writes.
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Director Mark Vermeulen of Aidsfonds-Soa Aids Nederland also emphasizes the importance of contraceptives. “Condoms are essential to prevent gonorrhea and other STDs,” he says. ‘Public campaigns, such as the Freely Safe campaigns from 1987 to 2011, play an important role in increasing condom use and thus preventing STDs.’
Sexual health care must be more accessible
According to Soa Aids Nederland, the Netherlands is not doing enough to prevent STDs among young people. In addition to the need to pay more attention to condom use, the organization also wants access to sexual health care to become more accessible.
In addition to gonorrhea, the RIVM also shares figures on other venereal diseases, which showed little change. For example, despite a slight decrease, chlamydia is still the most common STD with 24,048 diagnoses. The number of HIV infections remained stable, and the number of syphilis diagnoses increased by 8 percent.
