Source:
XinhuaMANILA, 29 April (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that gonorrhoea may soon become untreatable unless urgent measures are taken to prevent and treat the sexually transmitted infection.
Improper use of antibiotics has resulted in widespread antimicrobial resistance to the disease, with cheaper, first-line antibiotics losing their effectiveness, WHO said in a press release.
If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before gonorrhoea develops resistance to third-generation cephalosporin. Australia, China's Hong Kong and Japan have reported treatment failures with oral cephalosporin, which is currently used in the last-line treatment of gonorrhoea.
"We are dealing with a serious issue with the implication that gonorrhoea may become untreatable," said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "This will have a major impact on our efforts to control the disease and will result in an increase in serious health-related complications," Dr Shin said.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-04/29/c_13272310.htm