WHO
Gonorrhoea
infections are increasing, but doctors are running out of antibiotics that can
fight the increasingly resistant bacteria causing the sexual disease, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Friday.
Gonorrhoea
is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Neisseria
gonorrhoeae or gonococcus.
It is mainly
found in discharge from the penis and in vaginal fluid and can easily pass
between people through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex.
Two-thirds
of the countries that report resistance data to the WHO have seen cases in
recent years in which their antibiotics of last resort no longer worked against
gonococci bacteria.
“These cases
may just be the tip of the iceberg since systems to diagnose and report
untreatable infections are lacking in lower-income countries where gonorrhoea
is actually more common,” WHO expert, Teodora Wi, said in Geneva.
The UN
health agency estimates that 78 million people are infected annually with the
disease.
Britain and
the U.S. reported increases of more than 10 per cent in 2015.
Cases among
gay men in France doubled between 2013 and 2015.
Rates are
highest in the African region, where one in 10 men is infected annually.
The main
reasons for the increase are decreasing condom use, increased mobility as well
as poor disease monitoring and inadequate treatment, according to the WHO.
Gonorrhoea
can infect the genitals, rectum and throat. It can lead to inflammation of the
pelvis and to infertility.
Currently,
only three new drugs are being developed, because pharmaceutical companies know
that the bacteria will soon become resistant to any new antibiotic.
To control
gonorrhoea, doctors not only need new medicines, but also a rapid diagnostic
tool and a vaccine, which are yet to be developed, WHO Antimicrobial expert,
Marc Sprenger, said. ’’
Africa Center for Clin Gov Research & Patient
Safety
@ HRI West Africa
Group - HRI WA
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Clinical Governance Implementation
Publisher: Health and
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