A British man has been diagnosed with a highly drug resistant strain of gonorrhoea after a sexual encounter with a woman in South East Asia.
It was reported that the man had a regular partner in the U.K. and his partner tested negatively for the disease. Health authorities in Britain are now tracing any other sexual partners the man may have had in a bid to stop the spread of the bacteria.
Gonorrhoea is passed on unprotected sexual contact an is usually treated with a combination of the drugs azithromycin and ceftriaxone antibiotics, both of which failed in this case.
“We are investigating a case who has gonorrhoea which was acquired abroad and is very resistant to the recommended first line treatment,” said Dr Gwenda Hughes, Consultant Scientist and Head of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Section at the Public Health of England.
“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. We are following up this case to ensure that the infection was effectively treated with other options and the risk of any onward transmission is minimised. “
The WHO estimates that 78 million people worldwide are infected with gonorrhea each year. In Singapore, the most commonly diagnosed STIs are gonorrhea and Chlamydia, and females represent almost twice as many infected individuals in Singapore as males.
Symptoms include a burning sensation when urinating and unusual discharge from the penis or vagina. Left untreated, the infection can cause serious health problems, including long-term abdominal pain and pelvic inflammatory disease, which could lead to ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
So whilst sex is fun and good, don’t forget to keep things wrapped up nicely. You don’t want to keep a garden to bloom and grow in your pants.
