Gonorrhea is not new. It has plagued humans for hundreds, if not thousands of years. So what is the new gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a bacterium which is a living thing. Like all living things, it will evolve and adapt to its environment in order to survive, reproduce and continue to live. In this evolution it reinvents itself making it immune to the typical antibiotics that have been used to cure it. The new strain has taken a foothold in several nations and countries that have found little to stop its spread. In this instance the only prevention is using a condom for sex. However, it can be transmitted vaginally, orally and anally. Touching body fluids of an infected person and then touching your mouth or eyes and spread the disease.
What many people do not realize is that gonorrhea is not just vaginally specific. It can affect the eyes, anus, throat and even joints which may mimic arthritis.
It is not known to be life-threatening, although there was a medical practitioner in 2013 who believed that the new H041 could become a new superbug. He warned that infected people could go into septic shock and die within a matter of days. As of now there have been no official reports of this.
As in the case of other strains, many times those infected have no symptoms. Women who have symptoms can have anything from painful urination or spotting between periods. These can also be signs of a UTI so in themselves are not a conclusive diagnosis. In men symptoms may mimic a bladder infection.
Untreated gonorrhea can cause infertility in both sexes. This is very worrisome because it hits the younger generation (15-24) much more often than any age group. These are the individuals who would be looking forward to marriage and beginning a family.
If a person has untreated gonorrhea it can and does cause additional serious and sometimes fatal conditions. Those with H041 will have a compromised immune system so it will be easier to acquire HIV and other STDs. What is worse, it can cause infections in the blood, heart, brain and joints. Brain and heart infections can be deadly.
Some reports say that the new strain began in the U.S. However, many reports say it was officially found and diagnosed in Japan among sex workers. It has spread worldwide from there.
