An oldie but...no, "goodie" is the wrong term

Resistant form of gonorrhea gains foothold
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff, 3/10/2004

A dangerous form of gonorrhea that can't be treated with standard antibiotics has swiftly established a foothold in Massachusetts, highlighting a resurgence of sexually transmitted illnesses across New England, disease trackers report.

The new germ was first detected in the state in 2002. By last year, one of every seven gonorrhea patients tested positive for the bacteria, which cannot be treated with the cheapest antibiotic pills. Maine reported its first case in January.

Though other New England health departments do not routinely examine blood samples for the new bug, health officers in those states said they suspect its presence.

Infectious disease specialists fear that the number of drug-resistant gonorrhea cases will grow exponentially, as patients with the new strain are unwittingly prescribed drugs that do them no good. Thinking they're cured, the patients may resume unsafe sex practices and pass on the infection.

"If the drug-resistant gonorrhea establishes that initial beachhead, it can become very hard to put the genie back into the bottle," said Dr. Stephen L. Boswell, executive director of the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston.

Federal infectious disease specialists are monitoring the spread of the drug-resistant bacteria -- which arrived in the United States about four years ago, on the West Coast -- with a mixture of surprise and alarm. Investigators from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Massachusetts outbreak appears to be more severe than clusters recently reported in Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia.

They also predict that the new gonorrhea strain could be a harbinger of an increase in HIV infections: Because people with gonorrhea have open sores on their genitals, they can catch the AIDS virus more easily and spread it more efficiently if they're already infected. "We're really surprised at the speed of this," said Dr. Susan Wang, a CDC medical epidemiologist who is analyzing the Massachusetts gonorrhea cases. "We were hoping to have a little more time before it came to the East Coast. The amount that we're seeing in Massachusetts is quite a bit. We're quite concerned."

Posted by Prometheus 6 on March 10, 2004 - 9:19pm :: News
 
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I've read that syphilis is also on the rise, and that it not only facilitates HIV transmission, but it may actually accelerate the progression of HIV disease itself. And that of all the cases of syphillis reported in 2002, more than 40%--were among gay and bisexual men. I don't know if this is also true of gonorrhea, but I would say that it's imperative that all sexually active individuals of whatever sexual orientation show some more personal responsibility and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases regularly, use condoms, and learn the warning signs of STD's.

Posted by  don (not verified) on March 10, 2004 - 9:33pm.

I had to linkify that URL.

I need to tell you, I saw the pictures from Tuskeegee when I was in High School…they make a hell of a case for abstinance, let me tell you.

The "classic" STDs are a nasty, nasty way to go out.

Posted by  P6 (not verified) on March 10, 2004 - 11:30pm.