Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Being Spread by Oral Sex, Warns World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a warning regarding antibiotic-resistant Gonorrhea being spread through oral sex. At least three people have been confirmed to be infected with the drug-resistant strain that is virtually untreatable.
Bacterial infection is normally cured by just a simple intake of antibiotics. However, bacteria often evolve mechanisms that make them resistant to these drugs, making them virtually ineffective in curing the infection.
The rise of drug-resistant bacteria or superbugs has been traced to overprescription of antibiotics to patients. These led many common infections such as Gonorrhea to slowly develop a new self-defense mechanism to render these drugs useless.
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Experts from the WHO already warned of antibiotic-resistant Gonorrhea appearing in "a matter of years" back in 2016. However, after this recent discovery, experts now believe that "last resort" drugs will no longer be able to cure the new super strain.
Teodora Wi, a human reproduction specialist for the Geneva-based U.N. health agency, said that Gonorrhea is a very smart bug, BBC reported. According to Wi, every time a new type of antibiotic is introduced to cure it, the bacteria quickly develops a resistance to it.
She said the rise of the drug-resistant strain is partly due to the widespread prevalence of oral sex. The bacteria can survive in the throat and, therefore, get regularly exposed to antibiotics that cure throat infection.
The drug-resistance works the same way as vaccines where humans are exposed to weaker strains of a particular disease in order for the body to develop a resistance to it. The use of antibiotics used to cure sore throat, for example, is being used by the bacteria to grow a resistance to antibiotics.
The use of condoms can slow the spread of antibiotic-resistant Gonorrhea, said Wi. However, the myth that the contraceptive spreads HIV has contributed greatly to the decline of condom use throughout the developed world.
