Abstract

Gonorrhoea is a typical endemic disease. Its continuity has been traditionally attributed to the existence of a pool of infected promiscuous women. Alternative theories have suggested a dynamic approach which gives equal importance to the man and the woman. Models constructed to simulate the epidemiology of gonorrhoea have so far failed to be realistic. An hypothesis that the distribution of infections is limited by the number of opportunities for transmission presented by the pattern of sexual behaviour may explain the low prevalence of the disease in England.