The World Health Organization warned that gonorrhea may soon become untreatable unless insistent measures are taken to action in order to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infection.

WHO said in a press release that improper use of antibiotics, with cheaper, first-line antibiotics losing their effectiveness, has resulted to the widespread antimicrobial resistance to the disease.

If this scenario continues, it will only be a matter of time before gonorrhea develops resistance to third generation cephalosporin. Australia, Hong Kong and Japan have reported failures in their treatment procedures with oral cephalosporin, which is currently used in the last-line treatment for gonorrhea.

We are dealing about the seriousness of this issue that gonorrhea may become untreatable, WHO Regional Director for Western Pacific, Dr. Shin Young-soo, said.

This will undeniably make an impact on our efforts to control and stop the disease which may result in an increase in serious health-related complication, Dr. Shin added.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea or also known as Gonococcus. If not treated well, it may result to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, infections in newborn children, inflammatory diseases, urethral strictures and scrotal swelling.

Gonorrhea has increased the odds of transmitting and acquiring HIV infection. The problem is the fact that monitoring gonorrhea resistance is inadequate and of poor quality in countries where the diseases has high rates.

There is no time and place to be complacent with the possible spread of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea.

New treatments or alternative treatments, improving antimicrobial resistance and strengthening prevention against gonorrhea are what we urgently need now. Dr. Shin added.

Japan Australia Medicine