Super Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea: a bacterial infection that can only be contracted through sexual contact and can cause anything from urinary discomfort to thick, yellow pelvic discharge constantly exiting the body. It is not exclusive to adults, either; gonorrhea can be passed to a child in pregnancy.

There are many sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, that are commonly spread in the world, the most common being chlamydia, which is easily treated and only results in minor genital pain for very few. In recent times however, gonorrhea is slowly becoming more and more common.

Gonorrhea has been around a long time, and like most bacteria, has begun to develop an immunity to modern antibiotics. In the last year alone, a new, untreatable infection, named “super gonorrhea”, has been spread across most of England and may be close to spreading into America and other countries as well. People who have contracted the infection and have noticed its presence are unable to treat it, due to its immunity to antibiotics. Doctors found recently that a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone, two drugs commonly prescribed to treat more serious cases of bacterial infections, worked to dispel super gonorrhea, but the infection has developed a resistance to azithromycin since then.

Several departments of health are putting forth their best efforts to advocate safe sex so the infection won’t spread nearly as fast. However, due to a recent trend in funds being cut and tighter budgets being put in place, sexual health advocates are having a difficult time spreading the word. Budget cuts are also making it more difficult for research to be done to create a new vaccine.

The only 100% guaranteed way to keep yourself from contracting an STI is through abstaining from sexual activity altogether. While condoms can be effective in prevention, they do not always work.

Bottom line here is this – practice what we’ve been taught since middle school and you should be fine. Being safe should be common sense at this point. We’re all (almost) adults here.