Neisseria gonorrhoeae Cases at AMC Muhammadiyah Hospital Indonesia: The Importance of Screening and Health Service Improvement to Prevent its Transmission and Complications

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gonorrhoeae is a type of sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) bacteria. It is a commonly reported bacterial STD with rising cases in men and women in Indonesia. Gonorrhoeae is commonly asymptomatic. Therefore, the disease is often left undiagnosed, untreated, and causes further complications. AIM: This study aims to describe the incidence and distribution of gonorrhoeae in AMC Muhammadiyah Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The importance of screening and health service improvement toward preventing transmission and complications are also discussed. METHODS: It is a descriptive observational study and aims to identify the percentage of NG in patients with clinical symptoms of STDs. The non-randomized sampling technique was used with 710 respondents. The inclusion criteria were women aged 15-44 years with STD symptoms who underwent vaginal smear examinations for NG, Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), yeast cells-pseudohyphae Candida sp, and were willing to be respondents. The exclusion criteria were women with STDs and HIV. Microscopic characteristics of NG were examined by Gram staining the vaginal swab samples from the respondents. RESULTS: It was found that 623 (87.7%) out of 710 respondents had NG with clinical symptoms of leukorrhea and itchiness. The vaginal smear results also found bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Screening and health facilities providing STI-related services are essential to prevent the transmission of gonorrhoeae and reduce the high incidence and severity of gonorrhoeae in reproductive health.