A highly drug-resistant type of bacteria that is responsible for gonorrhea is spreading rapidly across the United Kingdom and may soon become untreatable.
British news outlets reported that Sally Davies, the chief medical officer of England, has addressed the problem through a letter sent to all general practitioners and pharmacies.
The letter is said to contain a warning on the rise of the resistant-strain bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and also an advice to properly prescribe and dispense the right antibiotics intended for the disease.
"Gonorrhoea is at risk of becoming an untreatable disease due to the continuing emergence of antimicrobial resistance," Davies stated in her letter.
Sexual health experts reported that the bacteria are quickly developing resistance to two antibiotics commonly used for the disease, azithromycin and ceftriaxone. The resistant strain was discovered in north England in March.
Ideally, an intravenous infusion of ceftriaxone coupled with an azithromycin pill should be used to treat the disease but the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV found out that some patients don't follow the recommendations, BBC News reported.
While the growing problem is more pronounced in the United Kingdom, it does not mean that it won't reach the United States.
According to Sachin Jain, medical director of HIV prevention programs at the New York-based Montefiore AIDS Center, who told CBS News, there is a concerning possibility that resistant gonorrhea will also spread in America.
Jain also said that the Centers for Disease Control detected increasing resistance to azithromycin in the previous years.
But the health agency confirmed that gonorrhea cases are treatable in the United States, although sticking to the recommendations and continued monitoring are both important to "preserve this last treatment option for as long as possible."
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that can bring serious long-term health issues if left untreated. Health problems include infertility and a serious form of pelvic inflammatory disease among women.
Pregnant women who catch the disease will also pass it on to their newborn, causing them to be become blind.
