LONDON — Government health officials in England say a man in the U.K. has contracted the world’s worst-ever case of 'super gonorrhea' after an encounter with a woman in southeast Asia.
According to BBC News, health officials said the man contracted the first reported case of the sexually transmitted infection in which two separate antibiotics were unable to cure the bacterial spread — a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone.
Medical professionals treating the man say one final antibiotic might work, and that he is currently under treatment to find out.
He picked up the infection earlier in the year on a trip to Asia and health officials are now tracing any other sexual partners of the man, who has not been identified, in an attempt to contain the infection's spread.
The disease is caused by the bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. According to the CDC, symptoms include painful urination and abnormal discharge from the penis or vagina. Men may experience testicular pain and women may experience pain in the lower belly. In some cases, gonorrhea has no symptoms.
Dr Olwen Williams, the president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV told the BBC: "The emergence of this new strain of highly resistant gonorrhoea is of huge concern and is a significant development.
"We are concerned that the problem will worsen due to the dramatic cuts that have been delivered to the public health budget."
"Worryingly this has left sexual health services at 'tipping point', with clinic closures coming at the worst possible time."