Gonorrhoea among men

Export Indicator

Rate of laboratory-diagnosed gonorrhoea among men in countries with laboratory capacity for diagnosis
What it measures

Burden of sexually transmitted infections in men.

Rationale

Untreated gonococcal infection in men can result in urethral discharge and infertility and facilitate HIV transmission. Data on the number of men who test positive for N. gonorrhoeae provide information on the prevalence of infection and burden of sexually transmitted infections in men, and provide a marker of unprotected sex or sex without a condom. Data on gonorrhoea test positivity are important for understanding the challenges imposed by increasing resistance to currently recommended treatment options.

Numerator

Number of men reported with laboratory-diagnosed gonorrhoea in the past 12 months

Denominator

Number of men aged ≥15 years

Calculation

Numerator/denominator

Method of measurement

Routine health information systems

Measurement frequency

Annually.

Disaggregation

None

Additional information requested

Countries are requested to communicate the extent to which the data reported are representative of the national population and advise on how this would impact on interpretation of the data.

Strengths and weaknesses

The capacity to test for N. gonorrhoeae varies between and within countries. In many countries, people with symptoms related to sexually transmitted infections are treated based on their symptoms and not on any test results.

Data on gonorrhoea among women, although useful for monitoring purposes at the local and national levels, are not requested at the global level because most women infected with N. gonorrhoeae are asymptomatic, and sensitive diagnostic tests for gonorrhoea among women are not widely available in low- and middle-income countries

Further information

Strategies and laboratory methods for strengthening surveillance of sexually transmitted infection 2012. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012 (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241504478, accessed 6 November 2023).

Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance surveillance: consolidated guidance. Washington: Pan American Health Organization; 2020 (https://www.paho.org/en/documents/neisseria-gonorrhoeae-antimicrobial-re..., accessed 6 November 2023).