Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea: A Growing Threat (2016)

In the US, more than 350,000 new cases of gonorrhea were reported in 2014, with those aged 24 and under most at risk. Gonorrhea is relatively asymptomatic, making it all more critical for those at risk to get tested regularly. Left untreated, gonorrhea increases the risk of HIV infection and can lead to a host of health issues for women, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. Gonorrhea is currently curable when treated with a combination therapy of injectable antibiotic ceftriaxone along with the antibiotic pill azithromycin. More than 97 percent of cases in the US are treated with this therapy. However, there are cases where patients treated with only one drug have begun to show antibiotic resistance, which eventually may compromise the efficacy of the combination therapy. This highlights the importance of using the two-drug therapy, the quick reporting of any cases of treatment failure and a continued focus on prevention.