SUPER BUG
TWO more cases of gonorrhoea that's resistant to almost all treatments have been confirmed - after a Brit bloke became the first to get infected.
Two Australians also caught the highly contagious sexually transmitted infection while on holiday in south-east Asia.
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The two antibiotics typically used to treat the bug have been powerless to stop the super-strain, health officials warned.
A European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control report published this month confirmed the two new cases, warning more collaboration was needed between health officials to tackle the rise in infections.
"The control of gonorrhoea depends on primary prevention, including promoting safer sex practices (in particular the use of condoms), regular testing of individuals at risk as well as treatment with effective antibiotics to reduce the chance of further transmission," the report noted.
"Even a small change in drug resistance may have a broader impact as those infected can continue to transmit the infection without knowing.
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"Spread of extensively drug-resistant strains like the ones identified in the UK and Australia can have an even more serious impact on the control of gonorrhoea."
The Brit's case came to light earlier this year when he discovered he had the STI after getting tested, a month after he returning from Asia.
He told medics he had a regular partner in the UK, but did have "sexual contact" with a woman while he was away.
Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of the STI section at Public Health England, said: "This is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to both of these drugs, and to most other commonly used antibiotics."
But sexual infections experts have warned this case is a "worrying sign" of things to come, adding we will keep see this happening in the UK.
NHS 'Use A Condom' campaign video tells viewers what it's like to have an STI
Peter Greenhouse, of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said the UK faces a "perfect storm", with more people sleeping around, and Government cuts to health funding, stoking the fire.
"We have a perfect storm, just at a time when these infections are becoming seriously resistant to antibiotics.
"It is harder to get a sexual health check up, especially in London where six major clinics have had to close, and people are changing sexual partners much more frequently thanks to dating apps like Tinder and Grindr.
"When you multiply it together, you couldn't have planned a worst case scenario."
Mr Greenhouse said thankfully this man was treated with an old drug, used years ago.
But, he warned, the drug is powerless to treat the super-STI when it infects a person's throat after oral sex - the most common way gonorrhoea is transmitted.
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In the Brit man's case, Mr Greenhouse said he was likely to have caught "super gonorrhoea" from vaginal sex or having oral sex performed on him.
The man has since been cured after three days of intravenous treatment with antibiotic ertapenem, Public Health England confirmed.
Dr Hughes said the PHE team are investigating the case to reduce any potential spread of the super-resistant bug.
She added: "It is better to avoid getting or passing on gonorrhoea in the first place, and everyone can significantly reduce their risk by using condoms consistently and correctly."
It comes amid repeated warnings that super gonorrhoea could pose a threat as it becomes more resistant to treatment.
Last year the World Health Organisation warned antibiotic resistant strains of the STI are becoming much harder, and sometimes impossible to treat.
Dr Teodora Wi, medical officer in human reproduction at WHO, said: "The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea are particularly smart.
"Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them."
How to tell if you have gonorrhoea...
GONORRHOEA is a sexually transmitted infection that in many cases shows very few signs.
Symptoms usually develop within two weeks of a person becoming infected, but around one in 10 men and half of women who are infected will not experience any obvious signs of the infection.
As a result, it is common for gonorrhoea to go untreated for some time.
In women, the symptoms include:
- an unusual vaginal discharge, which may be thin or watery and green or yellow in colour
- pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
- pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen
- bleeding between periods, heavier periods and bleeding after sex
In men, the signs include:
- an unusual discharge from the tip of the penis, which may be white, yellow or green
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing
- inflammation of the foreskin
- pain or tenderness in the testicles
About 78 million people are infected with gonorrhoea each year, according to WHO.
It is the second most common form of STI in England.
It affects the genitals, rectum and throat, producing a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis.
One in ten men and almost half of infected women will not experience any symptoms.
MORE ON SEXUAL HEALTH
It can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility and an increased risk of HIV.
Dr Marc Sprenger, director of antimicrobial resistance at WHO, said: "To control gonorrhoea, we need new tools and systems for better prevention, treatment, earlier diagnosis, and more complete tracking and reporting of new infections, antibiotic use, resistance and treatment failures.
"Specifically, we need new antibiotics, as well as rapid, accurate, point-of-care diagnostic tests – ideally, ones that can predict which antibiotics will work on that particular infection – and longer term, a vaccine to prevent gonorrhoea."
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