It is one of the oldest known venereal diseases to humankind. Yet it is the most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to the mutation of the disease-causing agents. Most people go for self-medication, making the combating of the disease unattainable. This is not unique to Ghana alone. It is a typical pattern in almost all countries south of the Sahara.
The campaigns against gonorrhea do much less than the intended outcome. As the spreading of the disease continues, most people resort to the traditional healers for remedy. It is easier for treatment at the shrine than in hospitals. It is high time people deal with the stigmatization of the sufferers.
Prevalence Statistics of Gonorrhea
Though it is the women who come forward for medication after testing, the men stay behind. The irony of the matter is the regular statistics in any testing campaign proves that more men have the disease than women. The government needs to address the reluctance to medication in men as soon as possible.
Like in the campaigns against chlamydia, men are shy to come forward and admit they have gonorrhea. Most of them are either in a marriage or in a sexual relationship. Coming forward will expose the extramarital affairs that go on.
Resistance to Drugs
The worrying trend in the recent findings shows that there are many people with a type of gonorrhea that is highly resistant. The tests with conventional drugs are proving futile. The resistance build-up may be a result of self-medication during an infection. After the usage of several antibiotics, the disease develops a high tolerance for regular medication.
It is not a wonder for the disease to be highly resistant to drugs. Most of the government clinics and hospitals lack proper medication for infectious diseases. This gives the traditional healers the power to lead in treating most patients
Mitigation Measures
In the first place, the relevant agencies have to change tact on how they approach this problem. The traditional way of waiting for people to come for testing is not bearing fruit. There must be another elaborate campaign of having people go for testing. In other sub-Saharan countries, the testing personnels visit people in their homes. Though the testing is voluntary, the results are bearing more testing than the wait and see approach.
Many statistics prove that sexually transmitted diseases are an epidemic in Ghana. The numbers keep rising in every testing drive, yet the government is still passive. One of the recent findings is urging the agencies for further observation of the gonorrhea patterns.
Gonorrhea is more prevalent in younger men and women. They fall in the demographic group that is most sexually active and carefree. There is a high need for urgent remedial mitigation.
References
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4035-y
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25562852
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271135531_Gonorrhea_Surveillance_in_Ghana_Africa