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The World Health Organization put out an alert today with regardsto an untreatable form of Gonorrhea that seems to be becoming moreprevalent. The antibiotic resistant strain of what is commonlyregarded as little more than a nuisance STD, easily treated andcured, could set off a medieval style epidemic. It is estimated that more than 100 million people are infected withthe bacteria each year, making up a quarter of all treatable STDinfections. The disease colloquially known as "The Clap" causesburning urination and penile discharge in men, while around half ofwomen remain without symptoms, making them ideal hosts and carriersto continue passing on the disease to future partners. It's alsopossible to get gonorrhea of the throat from performing oral sex and this also remainsasymptomatic in 90% of cases. The bacteria can also be passed froma mother to her new born during birth, sometimes infecting the eyesand producing a swollen crusted appearance to the eyelids. The standard treatment in modern times was a quick course ofceftriaxone, but with resistance to this antibiotic growing, doctors are beginning to run out of treatment options forsome patients. Gonorrhea was seen as a large problem in the middleages, with reports of the disease going as far back as 1100.Parliaments and Kings passed laws requiring physicians to treatprostitutes infected with "the burning" and in some cases peoplewere banished for being carriers. Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, from the Department of ReproductiveHealth and Research at WHO said in the statement that : "Gonorrhoea is becoming a major public health challenge, due to thehigh incidence of infections accompanied by dwindling treatmentoptions .. The available data only shows the tip of the iceberg.Without adequate surveillance we won't know the extent ofresistance to gonorrhoea and without research into newantimicrobial agents, there could soon be no effective treatmentfor patients." The WHO is calling for greater vigilance and better use ofantibiotics. They also ask for more research into alternativetreatments for the disease, which luckily can only be passed onthrough direct sexual contact and not through a toilet seat orswimming pool. In addition, and in testament to their concern, theycall for a Global Action Plan, to control the spread and impact ofantimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. They are hopingfor better prevention, diagnosis and control of gonococcalinfections. To make matters worse, it appears that the bacteria is able togenetically pass on resistance to previously used antibiotics suchas penicillin, thus, once the bacteria has resistance that will beretained almost permanently. The extent of the current resistanceis not well known, and data is lacking for many countries. A largepart of the problem comes down to incorrect use of antibiotics andpoor quality or tarnished medicine, although genetic mutations canalso create resistance. In recent years, there has been increasing concern that antibioticresistance is building to a number of diseases, with superbugs inhospitals, antibiotic resistance Tuberculosis being just oneexample. Dr Lusti-Narasimhan concludes the warning stating that: "We are very concerned about recent reports of treatment failurefrom the last effective treatment option the class of cephalosporinantibiotics as there are no new therapeutic drugs in development ..If gonococcal infections become untreatable, the healthimplications are significant." In the middle ages, physicians are said to have used mercuryinjection via the urinary meatus, but by the 19th century, silvernitrate became widely used and later colloidal silver, which wasmarketed as Protargol by Bayer from 1897 onwards, until the firstantibiotics became available in the 1940s. Perhaps researcherswould be wise to take another look at the silver nitratepossibility. Written by Rupert Shepherd Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Drinking Water Treatment Systems , Juice Filling Machine Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Juice Filling Machine today!
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