People, this is why we need to always practise safe sex! Recently, a man from the UK has been diagnosed with the world’s worst case of super gonorrhoea. That sounds terrible!
According to BBC, the man got infected with the superbug when he hooked up with a woman he met while he was travelling in Southeast Asia earlier this year. He had a regular female partner in the UK but after tests, it was shown that she was not infected.
The man had shown symptoms of the superbug a month after his sexual encounter with the Southeast Asian woman. He was diagnosed with the infection and doctors prescribed the standard antibiotics to him. However, doctors were shocked when the first choice antibiotics could not cure him.
This super gonorrhoea proved resistant to two antibiotics, azithromycin and ceftriaxone, which makes this the first time this has ever happened in the world. He is currently being treated using a third drug, called ertapenem, which is showing some signs that it might work. Doctors will only know for sure in mid-April. Keep your fingers crossed!
Health officials are trying to trace other sexual partners of the man as they attempt to stop the widespread infection of the superbug. Dr Gwenda Hughes, from 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.”
The emergence of such a case does not bode well for us, but scientists have been predicting that such a case would occur after they found highly resistant strains of superbugs. One of the very valid fears that can occur from this case is that we can run out of antibiotics to treat this infection. And guess what happens if it becomes untreatable!
So, what can we do to stop this from happening? Well, first of all, practise safe sex by using protection as this infection is spread through unprotected vaginal, oral and anal sex. Gonorrhoea is actually a pretty common sexually transmitted infection and most people show no symptoms.
However, symptoms include thick green or yellow discharge from sexual organs, pain when urinating and bleeding between periods. If left untreated, the infection could lead to infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and can be passed on to a child during pregnancy.
So far, health officials have said that they do not detect any other individuals who has contracted the infection but they are taking no chances.
Play safe, peeps!
Also read: Oral Sex is Spreading Unstoppable Superbug Infection, Scientists Warn