The Incidence of Gonorrhea in Belgrade in the Period 2010 - 2014

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2008 there were 106.1 million newly registered cases of gonorrhea among adults worldwide. Of these cases, 3.4 million were in the WHO European Region. In the European Union and European Economic Area, the overall incidence of reported cases was 15.3 per 100.000 population in 2012; the highest rate (45.4 per 100.000) was observed in the United Kingdom, while low rates (<5 per 100.000) were generally reported in the Central and Eastern Europe. In 2012, low incidence of gonorrhea (1.49/100.000) was reported in Serbia, as well.

The purpose of this study was to report on the epidemiology of gonorrhea in a Belgrade population (about 1.5 million inhabitants) during the period 2010 - 2014, and to discuss data on gonorrhea rates in the European Union.

In Serbia it is mandatory to report gonorrhea, and all reports of culture-proved gonorrhea are sent to the City Institute for Public Health in Belgrade. These reports were used as the source for data analysis of gonorrhea incidence. Incidence rates were calculated using data from the 2011 population census in Serbia for Belgrade population. Age-adjusted annual incidence rates were carried out by a direct method using the “world population” as a standard.

During the 2010 - 2014 period, the average gonorrhea incidence in Belgrade population was 9.2 per 100.000 in men, and 1.9 per 100.000 in women. The incidence was highest in men and women aged 20 - 29 years. In all age groups gonorrhea incidence was higher in men than in women, the average male/female ratio being 4.8. In both sexes, the incidence of gonorrhea was highest in persons who had never married, with secondary education and unemployed. Out of 357 men with gonorrhea, 92 (25.77%) were self-reported homosexuals.