Gonorrhoea

Fact Sheet - Health conditions directory

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmissible infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoea. It is spread by sexual contact and can infect the urethra, anus, throat, cervix, uterus and even the eyes, potentially leading to serious complications.

Gonorrhoea notifications have increased in all states and territories. Gonorrhoea has increased in heterosexual women and men, as well as in men who have sex with men. There have been two cases of multi-drug resistant (MDR) gonorrhoea detected in Australia that are highly resistant to all of the antibiotics that have been in routine use to treat gonorrhoea.

• Read Communicable Diseases Network Australia Guidelines

Notification

Pathology laboratories

• Notification criteria for pathology laboratories (PDF, 55kB)

Notification resources

• List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions
• List of Public Health Unit contacts

• Gonorrhoea enhanced surveillance form (PDF, 213kB) - used to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.

• Australian STI management guidelines - an online resource for primary care health professionals which provide concise information to support the prevention, testing, diagnosis, management and treatment of STIs.

• View communicable diseases data for notifiable conditions in Queensland and blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections surveillance reports.
• The Kirby Institute usually reports annually on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. The data, including full data tables and charts as well as additional information, can be found on the Kirby Institute's data site. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, data has been compiled into a national summary for 2009-2018.