“In a very short space of time, we have seen changes in the bacteria at an unprecedented rate, which means that many antibiotics which used to work are no longer effective. “We are markedly concerned about the rise in antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea in the UK,” said Prof Claudia Estcourt, a member of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV. These concerns were echoed by others in the field. “Specifically, we need new antibiotics, as well as rapid, accurate, point-of-care diagnostic tests – ideally, ones that can predict which antibiotics will work on that particular infection – and longer term, a vaccine to prevent gonorrhoea.” We need to move now before it gets out of hand.“To control gonorrhoea, we need new tools and systems for better prevention, treatment, earlier diagnosis, and more complete tracking and reporting of new infections, antibiotic use, resistance and treatment failures,” said Marc Sprenger, director of antimicrobial resistance at the WHO. "These superbugs, including the gonorrhea strain, are a health threat. "It's time to do something about it before it explodes. "This is a disaster just waiting to happen," Christianson said. ( Read More: Antibiotic-Resistant 'Superbugs' Creep Into Nation's Food Supply) "Īll superbugs must be dealt with before it's too late, he said. And with this new strain it's even more important than ever to find out. The way gonorrhea works, not everyone knows they have it. "Anyone beginning a new relationship should get tested along with their partner. "People need to practice safe sex, like always," Christianson said. "What I do know is we don't have the resources to fight this as it stands now."Īvoiding the disease completely is the best course, experts said. "I'm hopeful we'll get the additional funds, but I can't say for sure," Smith said. In a briefing on Capitol Hill last week, he urged Congress to target nearly $54 million in immediate funding to help find an antibiotic for HO41 and to conduct an education and public awareness campaign. ( Read more: Big Pharma Exit: Who's Fighting the Superbugs?)īut Smith said more needs to be done. Recognizing the problem, Congress passed a law last year referred to as the Gain Act (Generating Antibiotics Incentives Now) to help speed antibiotic development. Only seven antibiotics are in an advanced stage of development-still years away from approval and use.
Since 1998, the Food and Drug Administration has approved only four new antibiotics of any kind, according to the Infectious Disease Society of America. "We are at lows in terms of infections, but this strain is a very tricky bug and we don't have anything medically to fight it right now." "That's what's kind of scary about this," Smith said. Gonorrhea infection rates were at historic lows until two years ago, according to the CDC. It often shows no symptoms in about half of women and in about 5 percent of men. It can also trigger other life-threatening illnesses, including heart infections. In men, the disease can be very painful and lead to sterility. Untreated, the disease can cause a number of health complications in women, including infertility. Gonorrhea is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. (Read More: Superbugs Are a 'Costly War We Can't Win': Doctors) More than 800,000 of STD cases reported are gonorrhea infections, with most occurring in people between the ages of 15 and 24.
"The potential for disaster is great."Īccording to the CDC, about 20 million a year contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and result in about $16 billion in medical costs. "We have to keep beating the drum on this," he said. Though no deaths from HO41 have been reported, efforts to combat it must continue, Smith said. These superbugs kill about half the people they attack, and nearly one in 20 hospital patients become infected with one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, there have been no treatment failures reported in the U.S.for gonorrhea treated with currently-recommended first-line regimens.)īecause it resists current antibiotic treatment, the strain has been placed in the superbug category with other resistant bacteria, such as MRSA and CRE. Gonorrhea strains resistant to a certain antibiotic not routinely recommended by CDC as a first-line treatment regimen for gonorrhea were detected in Hawaii, but other treatments ultimately cured those infections in follow-up. (Correction: The statement that H041 was found in places beyond Japan is incorrect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria has since been found in Hawaii, California and Norway. This gonorrhea strain, HO41, was discovered in Japan two years ago in a 31-year-old female sex worker who had been screened in 2009.
0 kommentar(er)
