According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately five million people will become ill with one or more of these four sexually transmitted infections (STIs) each year; chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.1 Of these four, gonorrhea has become increasingly drug-resistant, posing a major threat to attempts to reduce sexually transmitted diseases. 1 This disease is known to have a high prevalence and low mortality in our society.1 Individuals living with gonorrhea will also have a high chance of becoming infected with chlamydia and HIV. (1,2)The sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a gram-negative dipoloccus, and in this particular bacterium this dipolococcus is called gonococcus.2 This bacterium is part of the Neisseria genus of the Neisseriaceae family. 3 Non-spore forming, non-motile, encapsulated, intracellular, and oxidase positive.3 This bacterium also has a beta-lactamase ring due to genetic mutation by plasmids.3 N. gonorrhoeae is an aerobic organism that requires additional carbon dioxide and an enriched medium such as chocolate agar for culture.3 The ideal growth of this bacterium occurs between 35 and 37° C and with a pH between 7.2 and 7.6.5 N. Gonorrhea is most commonly contracted through direct contact with the mucosal exudates of an infected person. This infection is most commonly spread through sexual transmission.4 It can also be transmitted from mother to newborn during childbirth, in the process called vertical transmission, in which the baby comes into direct contact with the infected cervix.4 This infection is known as neonatal. conjunctivitis or ophthalmia neonatroum.(3,4) Autoinoculation is another method of infecting...... middle of paper......their neonatal conjunctivitis, where 1% solution of silver nitrate and 1% tetracyclic ointment or 0.5% erythromycin ophthalmic ointment is instilled in each eye every hour after birth to prevent the spread of the infection.3 There are currently no vaccinations against gonorrhea, although the WHO says researchers are in the early stages of developing a vaccine.1 To prevent gonorrhea spread of N. gonorrhoeae, the World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working on many campaigns to raise awareness and educate the population about this infectious disease.1 The aim of these campaigns is to promote safe sex, abstinence and encourage more people to get tested for sexually transmitted infections which can help with the early treatment and prevent them from unknowingly spreading the disease. (1,2,3)