The World Health Organization (WHO) has said antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhoea, a sexually-transmitted disease, “much harder and sometimes impossible” to treat, citing data from 77 countries, including India.
The global health body said every year, an estimated 35.2 million people were infected by the disease in the WHO’s Western Pacific Region and 11.4 million in the southeast Asian Region, which includes India. Asked if India was a part of the 77 countries, the WHO, Geneva, replied, “India is part of the 77 countries and has been coordinating with the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in gonorrhoea in South East Asia Region”.
“The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea are particularly smart. Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them,” said Dr. Teodora Wi, Medical Officer, Human Reproduction, WHO.
ADVERTISEMENT