What you should know about Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease that can result in symptoms such as painful urination and painful swollen testicles in men while in women it can infect the vagina and cervix. It mostly infects the sexual organs, anus, and mouth.
Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea
Recently, a new strain of gonorrhea resistant to first-line antibiotic treatment has inflicted two women in the United Kingdom. This sexually transmitted infection can severely damage the reproductive system. If the disease is not treated, it can cause more serious issues such as infertility.
Increasing resistance
As this strain is resistant to first-line antibiotics – 3rd generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) and macrolides (azithromycin), treatment proves to be difficult. In addition to this, there are fears of a widespread epidemic of the new antibiotic-resistant strain.
A more surprising factoid regarding the infection is the location where the infection was acquired. Usually, the infection is acquired from underdeveloped countries outside the UK. However, in these two cases, the infection was acquired from within the United Kingdom itself.
Public Health England spokesman Dr. Nick Phin has stated “It really brings home the message that these organisms will spread globally and you can get them in the UK,”
Although the two women eventually responded to therapy, they failed to respond to the first-line therapy recommended for Gonorrhea. In addition to this, Gonorrhea can also infect newborn babies resulting in inflamed eyes. In severe cases, the infection can progress to result in Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and eventually infertility.
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