THERE ARE FEARS that super-gonorrhea is spreading and becoming untreatable.
It comes as the sexually transmitted infection, which can cause infertility, became resistant to some antibiotic treatments.
Doctors in England have expressed concern that it’s only a matter of time before the main drugs used to treat the superbug fail.
Speaking on News at One on RTÉ Dr Fiona Lyons, the HSE national clinical lead on sexual health, said the infection is not resistant to the main class of antibiotics and the first line of treatment used is still sensitive.
“It’s something that within the HSE and within the laboratories and clinics around Ireland we’ve been taking seriously for a long time.
We’re very much keeping up to date with it but it is a serious threat.
Lyons added that, “At a public health level this needs to be taken very seriously.”
However, she assured people that the superbug “only applies to a small number of individuals who may be affected with gonorrhea ” adding that “at the individual level the important thing to highlight is that gonorrhea is still treatable”.
People who are worried they may have the infection can go onto the HSE website thinkcontraception.ie for information about what to do.
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