Increased Post-Covid 2019 burden of gonorrhea at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi: Cause for concern.

Authors

Deepika Pandhi, Vishal Pal, Bharti Aggarwal, Archana Singal

Published in

Indian journal of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS. Volume 47. Issue 1. Pages 27-31. Epub May 19, 2026.

Abstract

Gonorrhea caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an sexually transmitted infection (STI), particularly observed among young people between 15 and 24 years of age. Gonorrhoea remains a significant public health problem due to its recent resurgence and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Understanding the epidemiological patterns is crucial for effectively addressing the burden of the disease and developing targeted interventions.
This was a single center and retrospective study conducted over 6 years from March 2018 to March 2024. The case records of 69 patients of gonorrhea (Group A [precoronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19); n = 11] and Group B [post-COVID-19; n = 58]) who attended STI clinic of a tertiary care center were analyzed. Gonorrhea had been diagnosed based on the clinical presentation and Gram-stained smear examination.
The average age of patients in Group A and B was comparable (31.1 and 31.3 respectively). Males outnumbered the females, but remarkably 36.2% female patients had gonorrhea. The frequency of sexual encounter per month was significantly higher in Group B (mean 3.76) as compared to Group A (1.36; P = 0.0002). In Group B, seven patients were males who have sex with males (MSM). Marital status, educational, occupation, age of first sexual contact, and sexual orientation were comparable in both the groups. Pharyngeal and rectal involvement was seen in 2 and 1 patients, respectively. Five patients had reinfection and three patients had lack of response with suspected resistance to ceftriaxone. Partner screening was possible in only 8.6% of the patients in post-COVID-19 group.
In this study, we found a higher number of gonorrhea patients (58) during the post-COVID-19 era. This may be attributable to higher number of partners, contact with commercial sex workers and increased frequency of sexual contact per month. Extragenital gonorrhea was also found in MSM patients. Decriminalization of homosexuality and easy access to digital media makes it easy to find partners online, but this has a hazardous impact due to casual sexual encounters, risky sexual behavior, condomless sex, increased number of sexual partner, and importantly difficulty in partner tracing.
Our study indicates, resurgence of gonorrhea in post-COVID-19 period and emergence of cases with lack of adequate treatment response, thereby, emphasizing the need for increased surveillance.

PMID:
42383115
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Jul 2026.

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