Gonorrhea Increases Resistance Against Antibiotics, Studies Show

Gonorrhea is ranked as the second most infectious disease in the United States. The disease is giving patients harder time for it is resistant from its cure. Current research shows that two of the antibiotics, which cure the infectious disease before do not work anymore.

Reports were released from the health officials at the conference on Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Disease that a cluster of cases on Gonorrhea in the United States has shown the resistance of the double-antibiotic combination of treatment has failed. The researchers also estimated that 800,000 Americans a year could probably undergo untreatable gonorrhea if the disease will continue to establish resistance.

The findings were studied through experts from Hawaii's state health department. They gathered samples from 7 gonorrhea patients. The results lead them that the disease is resistant to azithromycin a kind of antibiotic, and its resistance shows that it is in a "dramatically higher levels" than the usual. Among the 7 samples 5 of which shows resistance to ceftriaxone also an antibiotic, according to Washington Post.

However, the patients were treated for the disease using the two drugs, experts are now worried for the pattern of resistance and the indication of the gonorrhea will still spread. Thus, Hawaii is in the front-line of the antibiotic-resistant form the disease. Hence, the state was able to catch the cluster cases early, through these findings.

Health officials warned that the majority of the people is not aware that they are infected with gonorrhea for the disease has no symptoms. As a result, people who are infected with the disease remain untreated. For women, the danger is the chronic pain, infertility, and even life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. The infection also increases the risk of contracting and transmitting HIV for both men and women.

In line with this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that options for the treatment are in jeopardy, director of CDC's division of STD prevention Gail Bolan said, "What's unique about this cluster now identified in Hawaii is that these strains, we've really never seen before."

Meanwhile, president and chief executive of Consumer Reports Martha Tellado shared that "Countries need to launch high-profile public awareness campaigns, and institutions such as hospitals need to be more transparent so consumers can be informed about drug-resistant outbreaks," reported by Chicago Tribune.