Want to help stop Gonorrhoea with a simple vaccine?
Gonorrhoea, gono, or the clap, is a global public health problem with between 87 to 106 million yearly cases, with increasing multi-drug resistance.
In Australia, gonorrhoea infection rates have almost doubled over the past five years, with the most significant increase among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
The GoGoVax Study is a world-first study being conducted now, using a licensed meningococcal B vaccine to prove if the vaccine can also prevent gonorrhoea.
People enrolling in the study receive two doses of the vaccine or the placebo over three months and then are followed for two years. At the end of the two years, everyone in the study receives the vaccine.
Is the vaccine safe?
Yes, it is very safe; the meningococcal B vaccine used in the study has been licensed in Australia since 2013 and is used in more than 35 countries worldwide. In the UK, where it is used, there have been no significant safety concerns after widespread use among infants.
This vaccine is recommended by ATAGI for all PLHIV to prevent meningococcal B disease, but it is not funded (2 doses cost about $200).
Does the vaccine work?
Nationwide studies from New Zealand and other countries have shown that this meningococcal B vaccine may reduce new infection rates of gonorrhoea among the general population. GoGoVax is a world-first study designed to prove that this meningococcal B vaccine can prevent Gonorrhoea.
Will the vaccine cost anything?
No, the vaccine will be supplied free to everyone enrolled in the study, either at the start or once the study is complete.
Can people with HIV enrol in the study?
Yes, people living with HIV are welcome to enrol in the study, as long as they are on treatment and have an undetectable viral load. Having people with HIV involved in the study will help understand if HIV status has any impact on the immune response.
Who can enrol in the study?
To be eligible to enrol, you must:
- Be 18 to 50 years old;
- Be a man (cis or trans) or a trans woman or a non-binary person who has had sex with at least one man in the last six months;
- Have had gonorrhoea or a syphilis diagnosis in the last 18 months; and
- Be either HIV negative and using PrEP or HIV positive with an undetectable viral load.
I want to enrol in the study what do I do next?
For more information, contact the participating clinics and book an appointment with the doctor.
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Melbourne
Website: www.mshc.org.au
PH: 03 9341 6200
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Prahran Market Clinic, Melbourne
Website: www.prahranmarketclinic.com
E: research@prahranmarketclinic.com
This study has been approved by St Vincent’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee reference number 2020/ETH01084