Policy & Regulations
WHO intensifies fight against STDs
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has released new treatment guidelines for three common sexually transmitted diseases ( STDs ) upon an increase worry of drug resistance .
According to the international health organization , the world is running out of ways to treat the once curable STDs ( STIs ) since the three diseases are fast becoming resistant to antibiotics .
To mitigate the problem , WHO has called on doctors and patients to make sure the right drugs and doses are used , to try to prevent the problem from getting worse .
Recently the UN agency updated its treatment guidelines for chlamydia , gonorrhea and syphilis , which together infect more than 200 million people every year .
Until recently , the three diseases had been fairly easy to treat using antibiotics , but increasingly those drugs are failing .
“ Resistance of these STIs to the effect of antibiotics has increased rapidly in recent years and has reduced treatment options ,” the UN agency said .
Resistance of these STIs to the effect of antibiotics has increased rapidly in recent years and has reduced treatment options . Of the 3 STIs , gonorrhoea has developed the strongest resistance to antibiotics with strains of multidrugresistant gonorrhoea that do not respond to any available antibiotics being detected .
On the other hand , resistance in chlamydia and syphilis , though less common , also exists , making prevention and prompt treatment critical .
When left undiagnosed and untreated , the three diseases can result in
.. national health services need to monitor the patterns of antibiotic resistance in these infections within their countries ... serious health complications and longterm health problems for women , such as pelvic inflammatory disease , ectopic pregnancy , and increasing the chances of miscarriage , stillbirth and newborn death .
Chlamydia can cause infertility in both men and women . Infection with chlamydia , gonorrhoea and syphilis can also increase a person ’ s risk of being infected with HIV two- to three-fold . Worse still , untreated gonorrhoea and chlamydia can leave both men and women infertile .
To remedy the situation , WHO in August published new guidelines aimed at ensuring that doctors prescribe the best antibiotics , and the right doses , for treating each infection .
26 November-December 2016