Once again, the number of reported gonorrhea infections in Sweden has increased, just as experts maintain that a strain could soon become incurable.
Despite various safe sex campaigns (and Swedish doctors hammering home how prevalent infections have become), statistics from Sweden’s Public Heath Agency demonstrate that by November 2016, 1,625 cases were reported — up from 1,535 the prior year.
The number of infections have more than doubled in the decades between 1995 and 2015.
“There are several factors which have contributed to the growth,” Public Health Agency’s Elin Jacobsson tells The Local.
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“One of them is that more cases are detected now because access to tests has increased since ordering them online was made possible.”
Related: Why Are STDs Running Rampant In The Deep South?
“Gonorrhea has lived in the shadow of chlamydia somewhat, which is the most common STD in Sweden, but since a few years back both chlamydia and gonorrhea can be detected by the same test.”
She’s worried awareness about the disease may still be too low.
“The number of cases of gonorrhea reported was generally low for a long time, which means that awareness about the infection could be low,” she explains. “It’s very important that people who have unprotected sex are offered tests and discussions about condom use.
She adds:
Condom usage is too low in Sweden: it has dropped since the 80s and 90s when the fear of HIV was high. Chlamydia is not perceived as similarly serious, and as a result of that the incentive to use condoms isn’t as high. We also know that the number of sexual partners during a lifetime has increased and people don’t always make a rational risk assessment.”
The real concern is that antibiotic treatments could stop working altogether, leading to incurable strains of gonorrhea.
“The increase is worrying because it could become incurable as multi-resistant bacteria grows,” she says. “For one kind of gonorrhea in particular there is currently only one kind of antibiotic which can cure it.”
“People are actively looking for new antibiotics, but we could end up in a situation where the cure which exists stops working.”
ChrisK
How is this different then say the 70s when no one wore condoms? Interesting how this is now such a concern.
orrine
@ChrisK: Read the article. It’s a conceren because incurable strains of different bacteria started to appear only recently. In the 70s we were a couple of generation of antibiotics ahead of bacteria resistance.
There’s the reason penicillin is not a main way to treat infections anymore
MediaGuy
@ChrisK: different “then”. do you mean different “than”? and @orrine: I have a conceren about your spelling.
MacAdvisor
@MediaGuy:
” different “then”. do you mean different “than”? and @orrine: I have a conceren about your spelling.”
Actually, things are different “from,” not different “than.”
Jack Meoff
Wow people on this site must be really bored and have nothing better to do if they are going to sit around pointing out other peoples spelling and grammar mistakes while taking a superior tone. Life’s to short guys.
Joe
@Jack Meoff: “too short”
Jack Meoff
@Joe: LOL Cheeky bastard.
Dwik27
Different from and different than are both acceptable. Idiocy is not.
rmarin776
I’ve seen this a number of times. But the articles never go on to explain what would be the consequences of having untreatable gonorrhea. I think this is important information.
inbama
@rmarin776:
It’s really not pretty:
> An inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis).
> Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) when the gonorrhea infection spreads to sites other than the genitals, such as the joints, skin, heart, or blood. Complications of DGI include:
Fever
Skin infection (cellulitis).
An infection in the bloodstream (sepsis).
Inflammation of a joint (arthritis). It most often affects the knees and hands.
An infection and inflammation of the heart valves and the chambers of the heart (endocarditis).
An infection of the fluid and tissues that surround the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).
Chris
The widespread use of antibiotics in our food chain seems to be why gonorrhea is mutating into drug resistant strains. Though we should be practicing safer sex to avoid contracting any STI, we also should demand that agricultural practices become safer as well.
1898
there are also more people today who are allergic to certain types of antibiotics, further limiting their treatment options.