By
Daily Mail Reporter
10:58 EST, 5 May 2013
|
03:38 EST, 6 May 2013
Health officials are warning that two cases of a so-called ‘sex superbug’ have been confirmed in Hawaii.
Hawaii News Now reports that the ‘sex superbug’ is a resistant strain of gonorrhea.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked Congress for
$50 million to find a new antibiotic to treat the drug-resistant strain
of the disease. The first case in the nation was identified in a young
woman in Hawaii in May 2011.
Health officials are warning that two cases of a so-called ‘sex superbug’ have been confirmed in Hawaii
The ‘sex superbug’ called H041 was first discovered in Japan in 2011. It
spread to Hawaii, and has now surfaced in California and Norway.
Peter Whiticir with the State Department of Health says advisories have
been sent to physicians and health care providers around Hawaii to be on
the lookout for the resistant strain of gonorrhea.
Doctors are warning that an
antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhoea, now considered a superbug,
has the potential to be as deadly as the AIDS virus.
Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in North America.Â
‘This
might be a lot worse than AIDS in the short run because the bacteria is
more aggressive and will affect more people quickly,’ Alan
Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine told CNBC.
Nearly
30 million people have died from AIDS related causes worldwide, but
Christianson believes the effect of the gonorrhea bacteria is more
direct.
‘Getting gonorrhea from this strain
might put someone into septic shock and death in a matter of days,’
Christianson said. ‘This is very dangerous.’Â
In a briefing on Capitol Hill last
week, William Smith, executive director of the National Coalition for
STD Directors, urged Congress to target nearly $54 million in immediate
funding to help find an antibiotic for HO41 and to conduct an education
and public awareness campaign.
The ‘superbug’ was first discovered in Japan and some health officials have said it could rival AIDS
Although no deaths from HO41 have been reported as yet, experts say avoiding the disease completely is the best course of action.
‘People
need to practice safe sex, like always,’ Christianson said. ‘Anyone
beginning a new relationship should get tested along with their partner.
‘The way gonorrhea
works, not everyone knows they have it. And with this new strain it’s
even more important than ever to find out.’
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted
disease that has been known since medieval times. Sometimes known as
‘the clap,’ the infection can result in painful sores and genital
discharge, and is associated with ectopic pregnancies and sterility in
both men and women.Â
Left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to a
host of complications including pelvic inflammatory disease,
infertility, and blood stream infections.
It also raises the risk for HIV because the lesions permit the AIDS-causing virus easier access to the bloodstream.
Gonorrhea is especially common among people between the ages of 15 and 24.
The
disease became curable in the 1940s when penicillin and other
antibiotics were introduced. Since then, the medical world has created
more new drugs that killed the ever-mutating gonorrhea bacteria.
Health officials said there is the very real prospect that all types of gonorrhea will soon become untreatable
On
a state-by-state basis, pockets of the U.S. are seeing giant spikes in
the disease. Utah saw a 74 percent rise in gonorrhea cases in 2012, with
the trend continuing into the first few months of this year.
In
Minnesota, cases rose 35 percent in 2012, according to the state’s
department of health, and according to the latest statistics from the
CDC, ‘During 2010–2011, 61% (31/51) of states, plus the District of
Columbia, reported an increase in gonorrhea rates.’
Cephalosporin,
the last available class of antibiotics recommended for the treatment
of gonorrhea, has been failing worldwide and there is the very real prospect that all types of gonorrhea will soon become untreatable.
Professor Cathy Ison, head of the National Reference Laboratory for Gonorrhoea in the U.K. told the BBC
last week: ‘There is a possibility that if we don’t do something then it could become untreatable by 2015.’
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What a load of sensationalist rubbish…yes Gonorrhoea is more infectious than HIV, but it’s not deadly. Plus 80% of men get obvious outward symptoms i.e a green or yellow discharge within a few days or a week. So its spread is always difficult.
reality_checker
,
watford, United Kingdom,
06/5/2013 09:37
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Life lesson……keep your legs closed until marriage!- Blind Man, Kent, 5/5/2013 12:51 wow you really are blind! This “sex superbug†doesn’t discriminate against gender, therefore men put your d*icks away and women keep your legs closed, or put on a condom!
lamb chop
,
over the rainbow,
06/5/2013 09:21
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NOW I WONDER WHO IS BEHIND THIS GERM,??????? THEY ARE TRYING THERE BEST TO REDUCE THE POPULATIONS OF THE WORLD
margaret
,
tours,
06/5/2013 08:37
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Oh dear, was “Hoâ€41 really the best name for this strain?
alliecallie
,
Noosa, Queensland, Australia,
06/5/2013 08:36
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I find it a it sad that 33 people red arrowhead CWG who said the recent medical conference did not label this resistant strain deadly. Why red arrow a comment that is accurate!- SantaFeJack, Newport News VA USA ———————————————————— Don’t let the arrows get to you young man, they are pretty meaningless in this online comic. Just to prove it I down arrowed you for pointing out facts.
Grasshopper Farmer
,
Sandburrville,
06/5/2013 06:10
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I find it a it sad that 33 people red arrowhead CWG who said the recent medical conference did not label this resistant strain deadly. Why red arrow a comment that is accurate!
SantaFeJack
,
Newport News VA USA,
06/5/2013 04:37
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Nothing to be afraid of … just nature trying to stem the surge of planetary over-population amongst the unthinking, unaware masses.
Lynzey
,
Toronto-Canada,
06/5/2013 03:32
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toto, Moorpark;… “Galling that taxpayers have to pay for the poor values and choices of others. What if everyone took responsibility for their own choices…..?…. Tool. As soon as one of his children marry someone that they had no idea of their past history and find that they’re a carrier…this guy will be out saying why haven’t we studied this more thoroughly. I work in molecular biology and have followed this for over a year in journal articles. This type of disease can spread like wildfire. Right now, the thing they are describing is “Multi-Drug Resistantâ€. They have already found strains in a handful of people world wide in the next level up. Completely drug resistant…meaning virtually incurable. My guess is that people would prefer money be allocated for scientists to try to get a grip on this while it’s still possible.
Resident
,
somewhere in America,
06/5/2013 03:13
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What’s with the pictures??? I doubt it’s spread by two people sitting on a bed ignoring each other.
Resident
,
somewhere in America,
06/5/2013 03:07
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Reading over the childish, mindless crap so many men write when the topic is about se-x, I’m surprised they get any!
Minnie the Minx
,
UK,
06/5/2013 02:41
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