A light in the end of the tunnel has emerged for patients suffering from the drug-resistant sexually transmitted infection that has been on the rise and become one of the major worries for scientists and medics.
Strains of gonorrhoea that have developed a resistance against the antibiotic azithromycin — normally used to treat the infection — have been dubbed by scientists as "super-gonorrhoea."
"Everyone can significantly reduce their risk by using condoms with all new and casual partners," explained the UK National Health Service.
The concern in the medical community is largely caused by the fact that the superbug develops resistant to drugs used to treat it, leaving patients unprotected.
"We know that the bacterium that causes gonorrhoea can rapidly develop resistance to other antibiotics that are used for treatment, so we cannot afford to be complacent. If strains of gonorrhoea emerge that are resistant to both azithromycin and ceftriaxone, treatment options would be limited as there is currently no new antibiotic available to treat the infection," said Dr Gwenda Hughes, consultant scientist and head of the STI section at Public Health England.
The newly found combination of drugs by University Hospitals Birmingham could pave the way for a sought-after treatment.
The first case of ‘super gonorrhoea' was recorded in 2018, when a British man contracted the disease after returning from South East Asia.
READ MORE: Untreatable Super Gonorrhoea is a Threat to Public Health, NHS — Scholar