STIs: Gonorrhea Is Increasingly Resistant to Antibiotics According to the WHO

Cases of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea are increasingly being reported in the West. According to experts at the World Health Organization, this may be due to the overuse of antibiotics associated with the Covid 19 pandemic.

Resistant Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia. It affects 78 million people worldwide each year. It is treated with a single dose of antibiotics, either orally or by intramuscular injection. Unfortunately, according to specialists at the World Health Organization (WHO), more and more cases of treatment-resistant gonorrhea have been reported in the West in recent months. According to them, this could be due to the overuse of antibiotics in connection with the coronavirus pandemic we are currently facing. As a result, experts are now concerned that all strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, may become insensitive to all available antibiotics. In that case, there would be no way to effectively treat this STD.

Gonorrhea is caused by the gonococcus Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a very clever bacterium that is able to develop resistance to antibiotics extremely quickly. “Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to become resistant to them,” said Dr. Teodora Wi, a physician with WHO’s Department of Reproductive Health, in an interview with the British newspaper The Sun.

“Overuse of antibiotics in the community can promote the development of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea. Azithromycin, a common antibiotic used to treat respiratory infections, was used to treat covid-19 at the beginning of the epidemic,” she said.

Antibiotic-resistant super gonorrhea

“During the pandemic, STD clinics were also interrupted. This means more cases of STIs were not diagnosed, leading to more people self-medicating. This can lead to the emergence of super gonorrhea or gonorrhea with a high degree of resistance to the current antibiotics recommended for treatment,” she says.

But gonorrhea that is resistant to treatment can lead to serious complications. A poorly treated patient is at a much greater risk of getting HIV or developing eye infections that can lead to blindness. Untreated gonorrhea can also lead to testicular and prostate infections, tubal or ovarian abscesses, ectopic pregnancies, and even infertility.

To prevent this STD, researchers at Oregon State University are working on a vaccine. In New Zealand, scientists have found that the meningitis B vaccine can protect against gonorrhea. However, until this is clearer, condoms are still recommended. However, they are not foolproof. Simple mucosal contact, fellatio, cunnilingus, or anilingus are sufficient to transmit gonorrhea, as well as chlamydia, syphilis, papillomavirus, genital herpes, trichomoniasis, and hepatitis C and D.

In gonorrhea, the patient may have a fever, burning with urination, pelvic pain, or a yellow-green discharge from the vagina, penis, or anus two to seven days after infection. Skin rashes have also been reported.