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Gonorrhea is a very common sexually transmitted disease that I knew very little about. I hear things about gonorrhea every now and then, but I never really took the time to educate my self about the disease. Having clinical on a maternity floor also made me aware of how common gonorrhea is. One nursing intervention related to gonorrhea is applying erythromycin to the babies eyes because gonorrhea is one of the more common STD that is spread from mother to baby during birth. I also feel that knowing more information about the disease will help me better educate my patients about nursing interventions and precautions that are associated with treating gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is one of the most common STDs in the United States, there are approximately 360,000 new cases reported to the center for Disease Control and prevention a year (Catherina, 1998). This number of reported cases has continued to rise over the years even though we know more about the disease than we ever had. The highest rate of infection occurs in men ages 20-24 and women ages 15-19 who usually have multiple partners. Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that easily grows and multiplies in mucous membranes of the body, and is spread by contact with body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids( Justesen,2002). In women this bacteria tends to be found in the cervix, womb, and fallopian tubes of the reproductive tract. In men and women the disease can infect the urethra, rectum, throat and mouth. It is spread through sexual contact which includes penis to vagina, penis to mouth, penis to anus, mouth to vagina, and mouth to anus contact( Justesen,2002). It is also spread from the mother to baby during birth via vaginal fluids of the birth canal. Gonorrhea has also been found to spread to other areas of the body such as the eye. If you touch an effected area then touch your eye or any mucous membrane ( nose) you can become infected. The signs and symptoms of gonorrhea can be misleading and other times very clear cut. In 80% of the infected men, signs of infection appear two to five days after transmission, but can be dormant for up to 45 days (Justesen, 2002).
Approximate Word count = 1406
Approximate Pages = 5.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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