Untreatable Super Gonorrhoea is a Threat to Public Health, NHS - Scholar

© REUTERS / Stefan Wermuth / File PhotoFILE PHOTO: NHS sign is seen at St Thomas' Hospital in central London
FILE PHOTO: NHS sign is seen at St Thomas' Hospital in central London - Sputnik International
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Last year, Public Health England reported the first case of 'super gonorrhoea' – a sexually transmitted infection (STI); A British man has contracted the disease after returning from South East Asia where he had sex with a woman. Sputnik discussed the infection and its risks with University of Bristol scholar, Dr Paddy Horner.

Sputnik: Tell us, please, what the difference is between Gonorrhoea and Super Gonorrhoea, and how are the two strains treated?

Horner: It's different from Gonorrhoea, because it's not treatable the with the antibiotics we currently use for treatment. And these are the only ones available for routine standard care; it seems to produce the same type of disease. So it seems to be the only differences is in the fact that we're not able to treat it with our current first line treatment.

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Well, currently we're using treatment and we haven't used before and it's a drug you've got to give intravenously and that means currently that has to be administered in hospital and that would be down over three days.

So currently the treatment we give it would be an injection you just get one injection get while you attend a clinic and but this current the treatment for the 'super' type will involve intravenous treatment which is currently only administered in hospitals.

Sputnik: Can you tell me more about the symptoms for Super Gonorrhoea?

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Paddy Horner: Typically, symptoms have gonorrhoea would include thick green discharge from the penis or vagina. Pain with passing water and women can experience lower abdominal pain as well because infects the womb.

For people who've gotten an infection inside the back passage, that can cause discomfort and pain. What's important is that one in ten men infected in the water pipe urethra don't experience any symptoms, nor do half the women infected or all the people who've got infected in the back of the throat.

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And because people have got no symptoms, they can assume they don't have any infection and then they can unknowingly pass it on to other partners if they have unprotected sex with them.

Sputnik: How likely is it that this strain has been spread to other in the UK?

Paddy Horner:  We think it's relatively high. And we're not sure whether this case has spread further in the UK. We'll need to wait a few months to see what happened. What we do know as this type of gonorrhoea is circulating in the world.

And it will certainly come back to the UK at some time. And the important thing is in controlling infection, practicing safer sex and if you risk getting tested to stop to transmitting the infection.

And the worry is that if we don't manage it properly, it could become the main type of gonorrhoea in the UK and in 2017 with about 45,000 cases that being a 22% increase from the previous here. So it's something we're very worried about in the future.

Sputnik: What do you believe has caused this rise in STI's in the UK?

An NHS sign is pictured at St Thomas' Hospital in front of the Big Ben clock face and the Elizabeth Tower on January 13, 2017 in London. - Sputnik International
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Paddy Horner:  It would appear to be an increase in an unsafe sex. I think people changing sexual behaviour where those greater potential opportunity for changing sexual partners, which facilitated by the geospatial dating apps and also international travel and access to party venues.

I think its important people are happy within relationship. I think this is something to be welcomed, but there are risks associated with it. And we're interested in providing advice to people so they can look after themselves.

The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

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