The World Health Organisation has issued a serious warning about the rapid spread of drug-resistant gonorrhea, highlighting that this common sexually transmitted infection is becoming increasingly difficult to treat worldwide.
Alarming Resistance Rates Revealed
According to new data from WHO's Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), resistance to multiple antibiotics has reached critical levels. The most shocking statistic shows 95% global resistance to ciprofloxacin, rendering this antibiotic virtually useless against gonorrhea.
The situation with primary treatment antibiotics is equally concerning. Between 2022 and 2024, resistance to ceftriaxone jumped from 0.8% to 5%, while resistance to cefixime increased dramatically from 1.7% to 11%. Azithromycin resistance remained stable at 4%, but the overall picture indicates a worrying trend that could lead to untreatable gonorrhea.
Global Surveillance Efforts Intensify
WHO launched EGASP in 2015 to monitor antimicrobial resistance patterns through clinical and laboratory data from sentinel sites worldwide. The program has seen significant expansion, with 12 countries across five WHO regions submitting data in 2024, compared to just four countries in 2022.
This increased participation reflects growing global commitment to tracking and containing drug-resistant sexually transmitted infections. The data reveals important patterns about who is most affected by gonorrhea.
Patient Demographics and Risk Factors
The median age of patients with gonorrhea is 27 years, though cases range from as young as 12 to as old as 94. The data shows that 20% of infections occurred among men who have sex with men, while 42% of patients reported having multiple sexual partners within the 30 days preceding their diagnosis.
Additional risk factors identified include recent antibiotic use (8% of cases) and international travel shortly before diagnosis (19% of cases). These factors can contribute significantly to the spread of resistant strains across borders.
Geographical distribution shows that over half of all symptomatic gonorrhea cases in men (52%) were reported from countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region, while countries in the WHO African Region accounted for 28% of cases.
Urgent Call to Action
Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis & STIs, emphasized that the surveillance program is essential for protecting global health. She stated that the growing resistance patterns underscore the urgent need to strengthen STI surveillance systems worldwide.
WHO is urging countries, including Nigeria, to prioritize monitoring and integrate gonorrhea surveillance into national STI programs to curb the spread of resistant strains. The organization acknowledged that significant challenges persist, including limited funding, incomplete reporting, and data gaps, particularly concerning women and extragenital infection sites.
The warning was released to mark World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, highlighting the escalating threat of drug-resistant infections globally. WHO is calling for increased investment in national surveillance systems to sustain and strengthen global efforts to monitor and combat gonococcal antimicrobial resistance.
