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07th Jul 2017

WHO Warn That An Untreatable ‘Superbug’ Is Being Spread Around By Oral Sex

Sarah

You might wanna read this before getting down and dirty this weekend…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is reporting that at least three people worldwide are infected with an untreatable “superbug” strain of the STD gonorrhoea, with WHO calling it a “very serious situation”.

Some countries – particularly high-income ones – are finding cases of the infection that are untreatable by all known antibiotics.

Throat infection creating the superbug

BBC News reports that Dr Wi, a human reproduction specialist at WHO, said that although the STD can infect the genitals, rectum and throat, it is the throat infected by gonorrhoea that is the most concerning.

She said: “When you use antibiotics to treat infections like a normal sore throat, this mixes with the Neisseria species in your throat and this results in resistance.”

“Gonorrhoea is a very smart bug,”she added.

“Every time you introduce a new type of antibiotic to treat it, this bug develops resistance to it.”

The WHO estimates 78 million people a year get gonorrhoea, which can often have no symptoms and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

The infection, which in many cases has no symptoms on its own, can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility, as well as increasing the risk of getting HIV.

Dr Mark Lawton from the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV said people with gonorrhoea in the throat would be unlikely to realise it and so are passing it on to others via oral sex.

So basically, get tested yeah?

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