June 7, 2012

WHO Calls for Actions Needed to Stop Untreatable Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea that's resistant to cephalosporin antibiotics—the last line of defense against resistant strains—is on the rise in several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO is calling for more cautious use of antibiotics, better prevention and diagnosis of gonorrhea, and research into new treatment regimens. Untreated gonorrhea can increase HIV transmission risk and cause health problems such as infertility, spontaneous abortions and stillbirths, as well as permanent blindness in children born to infected mothers.

To read the WHO statement, click here.

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Travis, , 2012-06-07 16:48:30
..."untreated gonorrhea can increase HIV transmission..."jesus, when we're staring at the mass failure of antibiotics and the first thing we say is "could lead to HIV", we may want to consider whether the virus occupies too much of our neurotic inventory. Not saying HIV is "just a chronic, manageable disease", but im pretty sure that death from an untreated bacterial infection might be worse than long term HIV infection.