Gonorrhea guide: Prevention and control

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• General Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) prevention and control
• Prevention and control of gonorrhea

General Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) prevention and control

Case finding, education, counselling and partner notification and treatment are critical to control infection.

Healthcare providers should offer STBBI screening as part of their prevention and control strategies. Since many STBBI are frequently asymptomatic and can lead to serious complications if left undiagnosed and untreated, offer STBBI screening in the course of routine medical care, with special attention to those with risk factors. Normalizing screening in this way can reduce barriers to screening/testing and stigma associated with STBBIs.

Integrate STBBI prevention strategies such as counselling, vaccination and education on preventive practices into care. Motivational interviewing techniques may be used to identify barriers to prevention practices and the means to overcome them.

Offer vaccination for hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis A (HAV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) to people at risk as per the Canadian Immunization Guide.

Partner notification has public health benefits (e.g. disease surveillance and control) and reduces the risk of re-infection for the index case.

Prevention and control of gonorrhea

Measures to prevent and control the transmission of N. gonorrhoeae include counselling, prompt diagnosis and treatment of the person and their sexual partners.

Counsel people with suspected or confirmed gonorrhea about:

• Consistent practice of safer sex (e.g. use of barrier methods such as condoms and dental dams for vaginal, anal and oral sex)
• Clinical manifestations  of the infection
• The importance of STBBI screening
• Vulnerability to other STBBIs
• The benefits of partner notification
• Potential for transmission to sexual partners who may be asymptomatic
• Possibility of reinfection
• Avoiding sexual contact with untreated partners
• The importance of the treatment
• Prevention of reproductive sequelae
• Avoiding sexual contact with untreated partners
• The importance of test of cure
• Prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum by detection and treatment of gonococcal infection during pregnancy