The medical officer of health for eastern Newfoundland says recent gonorrhea cases are not limited to just one demographic.

Dr. David Allison said the number of instances in the region is on the rise, however the sexually transmitted disease is appearing in many age groups..

"The age range goes from 16 to 49, there's men and women involved, people who've been on holiday, people who live in town," Allison said. 

On Tuesday, Eastern Health said in a news release that 21 cases of gonorrhea have been reported so far this year in the eastern Newfoundland area.

That's compared to five in 2012 and four in 2011.

Allison said the commonality is people are having unprotected sex with multiple partners.

"Being a new academic year, they have new partners, and are letting their guard down. There's some exploration going on."  

Allison said the consequences of not getting properly checked can often lead to further complications.

"It's more difficult to diagnose women, as they are less likely to show symptoms. If there are no symptoms, there's no reason to get checked. They could end up with PID [pelvic inflammatory disease], which can lead to infertility ... and other complications like arthritis."

Allison added there is a urine test available for both men and women to test for gonorrhea and chlamydia.