Look! It’s a bird. No, it’s a plane. No, it’s Super…gonorrhea?
Uh oh.
Super gonorrhea is not something good like Superman or Superwoman. It is a sexually transmitted bacteria that is resistant to most if not all the antibiotics that are currently available. It’s scientific name is Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Around 78 million new gonorrhea infections that occur each year and as a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report explains, “data from 77 countries show that antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhea–a common sexually transmitted infection–much harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat.” In fact the WHO said the outlook is “fairly grim” with only three new candidate drugs “in various stages of clinical development.” The WHO also stated that the development of new antibiotics is “not very attractive for commercial pharmaceutical companies” because they are taken for short periods, become less effective as resistance develops, and constantly need replenishing.
In order to address the issue, the WHO and The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have launched a Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a not-for-profit research and development organization with a mission of “developing new antibiotic treatments and promoting appropriate use while ensuring access for all in need.”
Gonorrhoea is spread by unprotected vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Residing in the genitals, rectum and throat, it is caught not through just penetrative or oral sex but through touch, which means it can be transferred on fingers or sex toys.
The disease often stalks victims silently, with no symptoms; when it does leave its mark, symptoms usually consist of:
– conjunctivitis
– abdominal pain
– pus leakage from the penis
Left untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and also increase your risk of catching HIV.
One reason why this antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is spreading is unprotected oral sex. Many people think that unprotected oral sex is “safe sex”…THINK AGAIN.
Oral sex can transmit Neisseria gonorrhoeae from someone’s privates to your throat and vice versa. And up to 90% of people with oral gonorrhea have no or minimal symptoms. Yes, many people do not even realize that they have oral gonorrhea.
Your doctor can diagnose oral gonorrhea via a simple swab test for women and a urine or swab test for men. The majority of diagnoses can…