The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the rise in gonorrhea among the COVID-19 pandemic due to overuse of antibiotics, which is causing a fight against sexually transmitted diseases. According to The Sun, a WHO spokesman has said that the COVID-19 outbreak has created a unique situation for super gonorrhea to thrive due to the sudden increase in antibiotic use.
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A spokesman for the UN health agency said the lack of STI services among the pandemic could lead to gonorrhea cases. The spokesman said that during the pandemic, more people are taking self-medication because of hospitals that are pregnant with COVID-19 cases and are unsafe for regular visits. This may be a fuel for gonorrhea, including super gonorrhea or drug-resistant gonorrhea with high resistance to the currently recommended treatment such as ceftriaxone and azithromycin.
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Rise in Gonorrhea cases
Gonorrhea is one of the oldest sexually transmitted diseases in the world with over 90 million global cases each year. WHO says the number is rising at an alarming rate of 17 percent. Even though the majority of cases have been reported on the African continent, the western world has also recently recorded an increase in gonorrhea infection. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the country has seen a 63 percent increase in gonorrhea cases since 2014.
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The United Kingdom, the worst affected country in gonorrhea in Europe, will see more than 4 lakh cases per year by 2030. WHO says the rise in super gonorrhea could lead to a fivefold increase in HIV transmission, their infertility issues. , which has its own cultural and social influences, and severe neonatal eye diseases that can lead to blindness.
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