“To date, three extensively drug-resistant gonococcal strains with high-level resistance to ceftriaxone (‘superbugs’) have also been reported-in France, Japan and Spain,” the WHO wrote in the report. But the WHO did admit that there have been a few cases that did not respond to treatment at all. Wi said.īefore you freak out, be clear: This doesn’t mean gonorrhea is untreatable. The WHO stated that 97 percent of countries report gonorrhea that resists ciprofloxacin, 81 percent have found cases that resist azithromycin and two-thirds of countries have found strains that resist the last-resort drugs: extended-spectrum cephalosporins such as oral cefixime or injectable ceftriaxone.Īnd this is just the “tip of the iceburg,” Dr. Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them,” said WHO’s Teodora Wi, M.D.Ĭurrently gonorrhea-also called “the clap” and “the drip”-is treated with penicillin, but more and more countries are reporting they have to go down a list of drugs in order to treat people successfully. “The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are particularly smart. One of the most common sexually transmitted infections is becoming harder and harder to treat.Īccording to NBC News, on Friday the World Health Organization announced that drug-resistant “super gonorrhea” is becoming more common, making a once easily treated infection a nightmare disease.Įxperts claim that over the years, the bacteria strains have evolved “outsmarting” the current medicine available. Experts claim that over the years, the bacteria strains have evolved, “outsmarting” the current medicine available.