There may really be no protection from unprotected sex.
Oral sex is spreading a new form of drug-resistant gonorrhea, the World Health Organization says. A decline in condom use is being blamed for the spike in the unstoppable strain of bacteria.
The sexually transmitted infection (STI), which can cause infertility, is typically treated with antibiotics. However, a WHO report, released Thursday, says the new strain has adapted to become much harder to treat.
Health officials in Japan, France, and Spain reported cases of gonorrhea that were completely untreatable. According to BBC, the prospects for curbing the spread of the dangerous new form of STI are “extremely grim” since new drugs aren’t expected any time soon.
Transmitted to 78 million people annually, gonorrhea infects the genitals and rectum. It can also infect the throat, where antibiotic-resistant bacteria is likely to develop.
The WHO report says oral sex with men carrying the STI can add the bacteria to this environment and create what the agency calls a “super gonorrhea.”
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