The World Health Organization has released new guidelines for the treatment of 3 common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in response to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are all STIs caused by bacteria that are generally treated with antibiotics. Unfortunately, some antibiotics are failing to effectively treat these STI’s as a result of misuse and overuse.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are prominent public health problems worldwide, but for citizens of the United States, getting one of these STIs is not inherently deadly. Because these STIs could be easily combatted within a reasonable timeframe with the right dose of the right antibiotic, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis had always been considered treatable. But as resistance to these types of STIs increases, the range of treatment options diminishes and increases the likelihood that any case of one of these three STIs could cause long term health problems.
Thus far, gonorrhea has developed the strongest resistance to antibiotics. Researchers have already detected strains of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea, which do not respond to any available antibiotics. Though less common, antibiotic resistance in chlamydia and syphilis also exists, making prompt treatment even more critical.
In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in July, it was found that Neisseria gonorrhoeae ― the bacteria that causes gonorrhea ― could be developing resistance to the antibiotics doctors have been prescribing to treat gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea is a particularly dangerous sexually transmitted infection because when left untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can cause serious reproductive complications including tubal infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. Gonorrhea can also lead to infertility in both men and women and increase a person’s risk of being infected with HIV.
In the past, the “gold treatment” for gonorrhea was a combination of two drugs, azithromycin and ceftriaxone. If one drug didn’t completely kill the bacteria, the other drug finished the job. But as more and more bacteria adapt and develop a resistance to antibiotics, the CDC fears that this treatment could soon become ineffective. Instead, The World Health Organization has recommended that a class of antibiotics known as cephalosporins be prescribed to treat gonorrhea.
“Our ability to cure people of gonorrhea is going to fade unless we take steps now address growing antibiotic resistance,” said Dr. Robert Kirkcaldy, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC’s STD prevention division in an interview with The Huffington Post.
The U.S. government is already taking action to address the looming threat of antibiotic resistance. With the National Action Plan, the government allocated $160 million for the CDC to increase testing, surveillance and drug development to specifically strengthen local health departments so that they can better monitor and prevent outbreaks. The National Institutes of Health also received a $100 million budget increase to help combat antimicrobial resistance.
Women under the age of 25, people with multiple sexual partners and a person with a new sexual partner are the most high-risk individuals to acquire gonorrhea. STI screening will help prevent the spread of infection through an entire community and will help doctors to identify cases of STIs in their clients at an early stage.
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