Gonorrhea cases up 78% among young women, alarming Dutch authorities

Healthcare workers in the Netherlands discovered an alarming increase in the number of women diagnosed with a gonorrhea infection last year. While statistics from all population groups showed 31 percent more diagnosed infections, there was a 78 percent increase among women, particularly those under the age of 25.

“Although gonorrhea is still most common in men who have sex with men, the increase in young women and young heterosexual men is particularly striking. This mainly concerns people with a high level of education, without a migration background,” said Dutch public health institute RIVM in a report on Thursday. In population studies, “migration background” refers to people with at least one parent born in another country.

Sexual health centers diagnosed more than 13,853 gonorrhea infections in 2023. Cases involving women rose from 1,458 in 2022 to 2,598 last year. Infections found in heterosexual men rose by 51 percent from 666 to 1,007.

There was also an increase of over 20 percent found among men who have sex with other men. A total of 10,041 gonorrhea infections were diagnosed in that population group last year. About two-thirds of cases were found among men participating in a program to provide additional testing for sexually traditional infections, and the remaining third was discovered among very high-risk individuals participating in a separate preventative care program.

Last year was the second year in a row that the number of gonorrhea diagnoses among young adults increased. The RIVM already raised the alarm about it in June. In 2022, there were 33 percent more diagnoses.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria. It can infect the urethra, rectum, and throat, as well as the epididymis in men and cervix and fallopian tubes in women. Infection is easy to prevent by using a condom during sex.

The RIVM urged people with symptoms or people who had sexual contact with someone with symptoms to get tested. That advice applies to all sexually transmitted infections. As does the advice to wear a condom during sex. It is also important to notify your sexual partners if you test positive for an STI.

The public health institute also reported that the total number of STI diagnoses increased by 5 percent last year. Chlamydia diagnoses decreased slightly compared to 2022, and HIV infections remained stable. The number of syphilis diagnoses increased by 8 percent.