Gonorrhea refers to what is commonly known as the clap. It is a bacterial infection caused by gonococci. Half of all women who contract the disease have no symptoms, and the same goes for 10 percent of men. Otherwise, symptoms include an infection of the urethra with purulent discharge. And more rarely, in unfortunate cases the abdominal membrane, rectum, mouth and eyes are infected or the infection spreads throughout the entire body after entering the bloodstream.
The numbers are on the rise again. About 60 million new infections per year, with 10,000 to 20,000 in Germany.
Antibiotics. The increased resistance of this disease to antibiotics is getting out of control. The disease is becoming more and more difficult to cure and the WHO predicts that some cases will soon become incurable.
Since the 17th century, the disease has sometimes been referred to as “the drip”. That comes from the Dutch word for drip or “druiper”, and refers to the aforementioned purulent discharge.
