Gonorrhoea in a toddler: sexual abuse or accidental infection?

Abstract

A British case history is presented of a two-year-old girl who contracted gonorrhea either from incestuous sexual abuse or by indirect means. A police investigation consented to by the child's mother was inconclusive. After the girl had been treated and returned to her family, an informal case conference including physicians, a social worker, and a philosopher examined the issues of police involvement, the ramifications for the family, the possibility of psychological damage to the child from the investigation versus the harm of the suspected assault, and the need for a more structured follow-up.