The teenage gonorrhoea rate in New Zealand is exceeded only in Sweden and Denmark, Dr W. M. Platts, a venereologist at the Christchurch Public Hospital told a public forum on venereal disease at the W.E.A. recently.

Sixty to seventy per cent of New Zealanders affected by gonorrhoea are under 20.

Gonorrhoea is "almost an epidemic in New Zealand" and second in dispersion to hepatitis in infectious diseases, he said.

Eighty-six in every 100,000 New Zealanders are effected by gonorrhoea. This compares with 45 in every 100,000 in England.

The symptoms are a burning discharge in the male, but are generally unnoticeable in the female.

Although the disease is of little danger to males, it can lead to female sterility and death or damage to the infant if the affected female is pregnant.

"The cure is very simple," Dr Platts said.

Penicillin was a perfect drug for gonorrhoea until recently, when resistant strains developed.

For these, more expensive and difficult treatments were necessary.

"Syphilis is a killer," he warned.

About one third of those affected died of heart or nervous diseases. Fortunately, syphilis cases were rare in New Zealand. Only 25 were reported in New Zealand last year. But "it won't be long before it will appear on the New Zealand scene," Dr Platts said.

Dr Platts said that venereal diseases had to come from somewhere. Each person affected was therefore, only one of an infectious chain.

Intercourse was generally necessary to spread the disease, but syphilitic sores were occasionally infective.

Homosexual carrying was a problem in England and had become "a world-wide trend", he said.

The diseases were not notifiable by law because this tended to discourage prospective patients.

But medical officers were entitled to examine contacts given by the patient.

Only in this way could venereal disease be fought.

In 1955 venereal diseases seemed to have nearly vanished, but internationally since 1956 the rate had continued to rise.