Friday, February 10, 2012

Blog #4 Researchers warn of untreatable gonorrhea in the United States


Sexually transmitted diseases are very prevalent issues that are constantly on the rise in today’s society. One of those popular diseases is known as gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is an infectious disease that is normally treated with antibiotics, but due to a recent study there have been findings of an untreatable form of this particular disease. The disease is untreatable because it is resistant to the antibiotic cephalosporin. Gonorrhea has a history of being resistant to antimicrobial agents over a course of many years. The disease is becoming such a threat because they are finding traces of it that is multi-drug resistant right here in the United States. Due to the new trend of it being less susceptible and paired with the history of it thriving in society this is definitely a disease that needs to be eradicated as soon as possible. Now that it is being publicized and that reports have been made of treatment failures in other countries, momentum is finally being picked up in the pace for putting the efforts needed into helping eliminate gonorrhea. The article stated how authors including Gail A. Bolan, director of the Division of STD prevention in Atlanta, and Judith N. WAsserheirt, vice chair of the Department of Global Health in Washington, have issued out an urgent call for action to be taken to halt the continued increases in the drug related disease. The fact that it is hitting close to home puts it into reality that it has the potential globally affect the world. The fact that attention it just now being drawn to this issue because it is threatening to the United States is partly disturbing. The disease has obviously been around for a very long time and more could have been done before now. Prevention should be the main thing that is promoted so we won’t even have to worry about any form of Gonorrhea, whether untreatable or not. When the realization that gonorrhea was resistant to certain antimicrobial agents was revealed, I feel as if that should have been a red flag right there and a sign that more studies should have been conducted to help work against this problem immediately.


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