Two new cases of resistant gonorrhoea diagnosed in the UK
Public Health England (PHE) is investigating two cases of extensively drug resistant (XDR) gonorrhoea recently diagnosed in the U.K.
XDR gonorrhoea exhibits resistance patterns to ceftriaxone and azithromycin, the two antibiotics routinely used as the first line treatment for gonorrhoea. Worryingly, these developments come against the backdrop of significant and persistent funding cuts for public health in the U.K. at a time when rates of STI infections are on the rise.
The cases of XDR gonorrhoea were identified in heterosexual females from different locations in England, with possible links to a party destination in continental Europe, and experts are concerned that more cases will be forthcoming.
Read the full U.K. government announcement here.
Read the BASHH response here here.