The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that oral sex is causing a gonorrhoea superbug to spread quickly.
The gonorrhoea superbug that is spreading across the world has been seen in 77 countries. The version of the disease is incredibly resistant to current drugs, which makes it incredibly dangerous. There have also been three cases of the virus that are completely immune to treatment. These cases showed up in Japan, Spain and France.
WHO says that gonorrhoea can infect the rectum, genitals and throat. It can be hard to detect the disease, which can make it spread easier. The superbug version of the virus is spreading through oral sex because doctors are handing out antibiotics to treat sore throats of those with the virus. However, these drugs aren’t meant to treat it and only make it more resistant.
“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,” Dr Teodora Wi, from the WHO, told BBC News
. “In the US, resistance [to an antibiotic] came from men having sex with men because of pharyngeal infection.”
WHO says that the rise in gonorrhoea cases has to do with people partaking in less safe sex. To help prevent spread of the disease, WHO advises people to wear condoms during sexual activity. This includes all types of sex, including oral sex, that the disease can be caught from. This is important as it isn’t easy to diagnose gonorrhoea.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
