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FILE PHOTO: A low-resolution photomicrograph shows the bacterium responsible for gonorrhea inside cells using the Gram-stain technique. \u00a9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
RT.com<\/p>\n
The excessive use of antibiotics during the Covid-19 pandemic could be fueling a spike in a highly drug-resistant STI \u2013 \u201csuper gonorrhea\u201d \u2013 the World Health Organization has warned amid a recent uptick in the disease.<\/p>\n
While no antibiotic has been found to be effective in fighting off the coronavirus, the drugs were heavily administered in the early stages of the pandemic, with one Cambridge\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0showing that more than 70 percent of Covid-19 patients in the US received them between March and April. Though they are also used to prevent\u00a0\u201cco-infections\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in hospital settings, the researchers found the drugs were still overused, reporting a\u00a0\u201csignificant mismatch\u201d<\/em>\u00a0between bacterial co-infections and patients receiving antibiotics.<\/p>\n The over-reliance on the medications risks unleashing a new wave of antibiotic-resistant infections, such as\u00a0\u201csuper gonorrhea\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 a more hardy and drug-resilient version of the sexually-transmitted infection (STI) \u2013 a World Health Organization spokesperson\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0the Sun.<\/p>\n \u201cOveruse of antibiotics in the community can fuel the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the WHO representative said, adding that Azithromycin, a common antibiotic for treating respiratory illnesses, was given to countless Covid-19 patients earlier in the health crisis.<\/p>\n Such a situation can fuel emergence of resistance in gonorrhea including gonorrhea superbug (super gonorrhea) or gonorrhea with high level resistance to current antibiotics recommended to treat it.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The spokesperson also pointed to disruptions in STI services during the pandemic, saying\u00a0\u201cthis means more STI cases are not diagnosed properly with more people self-medicating as a result.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Kevin Cox, the executive chairman for British biotech firm Biotaspheric Ltd., said the phenomenon could soon render the disease untreatable, telling the Sun that new approaches are\u00a0\u201curgently\u201d<\/em>\u00a0needed as those infected pass on the illness and\u00a0\u201caccelerate\u201d<\/em>\u00a0its drug-resistance.<\/p>\n The WHO has\u00a0warned elsewhere<\/a>\u00a0that antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea has\u00a0\u201cincreased rapidly in recent years\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201creduced options for treatment,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0even prior to the emergence of the coronavirus on the world stage late last year. Though the lion\u2019s share of the 90 million or so gonorrhea cases reported worldwide annually are recorded in Africa, Europe has also recorded an uptick in the illness, seeing a 22-percent spike between 2017 and 2018,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to the latest data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The US experienced a smaller surge, about\u00a05 percent<\/a>, in the same period, official numbers show.<\/p>\n