A Super Strain of Gonorrhea Is on the Rise in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world has a new consequence that no one saw coming- a rise in Gonorrhea cases from a new super strain. Everyone around the world has been masking up and trying their best to stay healthy and not get the novel coronavirus.
According to the World Health Organization, there's another disease that has now mutated into a "superstrain" and is rapidly spreading around the world. Experts are calling it "super gonorrhea," a new strain that has mutated and become something more powerful than has ever been seen from gonorrhea before.
So why are medical experts blaming COVID-19 for a surge in cases of super gonorrhea? It has to do with the way doctors are treating COVID. At the beginning of the pandemic, doctors were stumped on how to treat this new coronavirus that was killing so many people.
One of the early ways the virus was treated was with Azithromycin, a drug that is typically used to treat the sexually transmitted disease. Now we know a Z-pack (what Azithromycin is commonly known as) doesn't actually cure COVID-19 but the effects of doctors using it on patients are now being seen.
Z-Packs are now being found to be less effective against this new super gonorrhea strain.
Another reason the COVID-19 pandemic is being blamed for the spread of super gonorrhea is the fact that people are less likely to go to the doctors to get checked out if they're having problems. People are avoiding doctor's offices, hospitals, urgent cares, etc. because of COVID-19 and they don't want to catch it.
So they're more likely to stay home and "deal with it," whatever "it" may be.
Health experts are saying there are several steps people can take to protect themselves from super gonorrhea and it's things you've been told for years- WRAP IT UP.
Wear a condom, get tested regularly, and remember only to take prescriptions when necessary and take all the pills you're supposed to.
Read more about the new super gonorrhea strain on the BGR website.