“This azithromycin highly-resistant outbreak is the first one that has triggered a national alert”, he told the BBC.
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Jan Clarke of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV said: ‘We are really skating on thin ice as far as treating gonorrhoea is concerned at the moment’.
Where has the disease been detected?
All of the cases involve heterosexual patients, and some people have reported partners from other parts of England.
Dr Greenhouse said the number of cases of the mutated strain did not reflect the severity of the problem.
“It doesn’t sound like an bad lot of people, but the implication is there’s a lot more of this strain out there and we need to stamp it out as quickly as possible”.
How is it being stopped?
According to PHE records, this strain has exhibited a rare resistance to the azithromycin drug.
A statement issued by Dr Mike Gent from Public Health England maintains that although alternative kinds of antibiotics are now being tried to cure the new gonorrhea strain, “the resistance to first-line treatment remains a concern“, as the Leeds outbreak might signal the rise of untreatable forms of gonorrhea. The prospect of no effective treatment for an infection that affects over 30,000 people a year is terrifying for professionals and patients alike.
Firstly be aware of the symptoms of gonorrhoea. Rarely, untreated gonorrhoea can spread to the blood stream or the joints.
The infection is spread by unprotected sex.
As for protecting yourself for the future, I can’t stress enough the importance of wearing condoms with new partners (you can get a wide selection for free from your local clinic or GP, including latex-free options for sensitive bits) and having regular sexual health checks if a new set of genitals comes into the mix.
It is understood that the strand of the sexually-transmitted disease is highly drug-resistant, and it has so far been detected in Macclesfield, Leeds, and Scunthorpe.
For gonorrhoea symptoms and advice, visit the NHS website or see your local doctor.
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Gonorrhoea can be easily diagnosed by testing a sample of discharge picked up using a swab.
