ATLANTA – As cases of sexually transmitted diseases continue to rise in the United States, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control are now worried about a new "untreatable" form of gonorrhea.
A new CDC report claims an antibiotic-resistant form of the STD could mean the disease may be untreatable in the future.
Currently, the disease has become resistant to almost every antibiotic available, with only ceftriaxone proving to be an effective way to treat gonorrhea, and that may soon come to an end.
“We expect gonorrhea will eventually wear down our last highly effective antibiotic, and additional treatment options are urgently needed,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “We can’t let our defenses down — we must continue reinforcing efforts to rapidly detect and prevent resistance as long as possible.”
The CDC report shows almost 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2017. That number is 200,000 more than the previous record set in 2016.
Gonorrhea diagnoses alone increased 67 percent and doubled among men.