Gonorrhea At Risk For Becoming Untreatable

Recently in September of 2015, a national public health alert was issued after an outbreak occurred of highly drug-resistant gonorrhea was seen in the north of England. There were at least 16 cases of this highly resistant strain reported to the health board in England in September of last year.

Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in North America, next to Chlamydia, affecting mostly people under the age of 25. This disease has quickly acquired resistance to new antibiotics, which leaves only a few options for treatment. There have been previous warnings about the potential of this resistance occurring and it is more important than ever that proper treatment measures are carried out. The problem is ineffective antibiotics are being prescribed that are outdated when it comes to current protocols for treatment.

The health problems of untreated gonorrhea infections include infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and in the case that a women is pregnant, the infant is at risk for permanent blindness. Due to these serious consequences this resistance is not to be taken lightly as this may soon become a concern in many other countries outside of England.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/27/gonorrhoea-could-become-untreatable-chief-medic-sally-davies