Untreatable gonorrhoea spreading around world
Magnified view of Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, the causative agent of Gonorrhoea.
Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhoea have spread to countries across the world and millions of patients may run out of treatment options unless doctors catch and treat cases earlier — says the World Health Organisation (WHO). Scientists reported last year finding a "superbug" strain of gonorrhoea in Japan in 2008 that was resistant to all recommended antibiotics and warned then that it could transform a once easily treatable infections into a global health threat. WHO said those fears are now reality with many more countries, including Australia, France, Norway, Sweden and Britain, reporting cases of the sexually transmitted disease resistant to cephalosporin antibiotics — normally the last option for drugs against gonorrhoea. Gonorrhoea, a common sexually transmitted infection characterised by burning with urination and penile discharge affected an estimated 106 million people every year. Expert from WHO said that the organism has developed resistance to virtually every class of antibiotics that exists. If gonococcal infections become untreatable, the health implications are significant. Gonorrhoea if left untreated, can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths, severe eye infections in babies, and infertility in both men and women. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world and is most prevalent in south and southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Bangladesh, in that context is at high risk of its grave complications. The WHO called for greater vigilance on the correct use of antibiotics and more research into alternative treatments for so-called gonococcal infections. The emergence of drug-resistant or superbug strains of gonorrhoea is caused by unregulated access to and overuse of antibiotics, which helps fuel natural genetic mutations within the bacteria. Experts say an added problem with gonorrhoea is that its strains tend to retain their genetic resistance to previous antibiotics even after their use has been discontinued. Experts say the best way to reduce the risk of even greater resistance developing — beyond the urgent need to develop effective new drugs — is to treat gonorrhoea with combinations of two or more types of antibiotic at the same time. Gonorrhoea can be prevented through safer sexual intercourse. The WHO said early detection and prompt treatment, including of sexual partners, is essential to control sexually transmitted infections.
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