03-08-2026 | Risk assessment resistant gonorrhoea

Since 2022, gonorrhoea caused by a bacterium that cannot be treated properly with the antibiotic ceftriaxone has become more common in European countries. This resistant form of gonorrhoea often occurs in people who have travelled, especially to Southeast Asia, because this bacterium is present in the population there. Since 2025, an increasing number of infections with this resistant gonorrhoea have been found in Europe among people who have not travelled. The infection occurs mostly in adults aged 20–50 years, and more often in men than in women.

Gonorrhoea spreads mainly through heterosexual contact within groups where people often switch sexual partners. In 2026, the first infections were also found in bisexual men and women in the United Kingdom. This shows that the spread now also takes place outside the original group of heterosexual people who often switch sexual partners.

In Europe, there is a low risk of developing resistant gonorrhoea. People who have unprotected sex with multiple or changing partners are at low to moderate risk. For travellers to areas with highly resistant gonorrhoea, such as Southeast Asia, and who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour, the risk is higher.

In the event of symptoms consistent with gonorrhoea, it is important to quickly visit a physician or the municipal health services (GGD) for examination and treatment. Safe sex, for example, using condoms, helps to prevent the spread.

Please read the complete report Upsurge in ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae with evidence of domestic transmission in the EU/EEA and the UK on the website of the ECDC.

06-01-2026 | tidrug-resistant gonorrhea found in the Netherlands

For the first time in the Netherlands a patient has been found with gonorrhea that cannot be effectively treated with the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Ceftriaxone is the first-choice treatment for gonorrhea. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. Sometimes, bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This is called antibiotic resistance.

The patient had sex in Asia. After returning to the Netherlands, the patient developed symptoms and went to the Center for Sexual Health. There, the patient was tested. Research showed that the bacteria were no longer effectively sensitive to several types of antibiotics, including ceftriaxone. The patient was still able to be treated.

The patient did not have sex in the Netherlands after the trip, which means that this resistant form of gonorrhea could not spread in the Netherlands.

This resistant gonorrhea occurs more often in Asia and the region around the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, travelers coming from those areas who have gonorrhea should be examined extra carefully.