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STORY: WHO / GONORRHOEA
TRT: 2.16
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 5 JUNE 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Tilt down, Dr. Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan looking at Action Plan
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Gonorrhoea is a major public health challenge today, because there are 106 million new infections every year that affect men, women and infants worldwide. And, there are hardly any treatment options available.”
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Carmem Lúcia Pessoa-Silva, Team Leader, Antimicrobial Drug Resistance, World Health Organization:
“We are at the edge of not having effective treatment to combat common infections, as common as pneumonia, or otitis. And we are also at the edge of not having what modern medicine brought us…treatment of cancer, transplants, and intensive care, for instance. So, this problem concerns all of us.”
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Neisseria gonorrhea, the organism that causes gonococcal infections, is what we term a superbug, it is an organism that develops resistance rapidly, to almost every class of antibiotics that are now available. And not only that, it retains the memory of this resistance.”
5. Cutaway, Action Plan
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Untreated gonorrhoea or resistance to gonococcal infections causes a large number of health complications including ectopic pregnancy, or spontaneous abortions, which could lead to increased maternal deaths in pregnant women. Severe eye infections in infants born to women with untreated gonorrhoea could lead to blindness, and also increase infertility in men and women.”
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Carmem Lúcia Pessoa-Silva, Team Leader, Antimicrobial Drug Resistance, World Health Organization:
“The good news is that the solutions are in our hands. It is about how we govern, how we consume and how we produce. So governments should commit to comprehensive national plans to combat microbial resistance. Prescribers should prescribe antimicrobials only when needed. The patients, the consumers, they should use the antimicrobials for the full course, appropriately. And those dealing with food producing animals should use antimicrobials in these food producing animals only for therapeutic purposes.”
8. Cutaway, Action Plan
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today (6 June) that millions of people with gonorrhoea may be at risk of running out of treatment options unless urgent action is taken.
Several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are already reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics – the last treatment option against gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted disease.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Gonorrhoea is a major public health challenge today, because there are 106 million new infections every year that affect men, women and infants worldwide. And, there are hardly any treatment options available.”
WHO has been warning that antimicrobial resistance is on the rise for a number of treatable diseases.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Carmem Lúcia Pessoa-Silva, Team Leader, Antimicrobial Drug Resistance, World Health Organization:
“We are at the edge of not having effective treatment to combat common infections, as common as pneumonia, or otitis. And we are also at the edge of not having what modern medicine brought us…treatment of cancer, transplants, and intensive care, for instance. So, this problem concerns all of us.”
In new guidance issued today, WHO is calling for greater vigilance on the correct use of antibiotics and more research into alternative treatment regimens for gonococcal infections.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Neisseria gonorrhea, the organism that causes gonococcal infections, is what we term a superbug, it is an organism that develops resistance rapidly, to almost every class of antibiotics that are now available. And not only that, it retains the memory of this resistance.”
Gonorrhoea makes up one quarter of the four major curable sexually-transmitted infections. Since the development of antibiotics, the pathogen has developed resistance to many of the common antibiotics used as treatment, including penicillin, tetracyclines and quinolones.
WHO warns that if gonococcal infections become untreatable, the health implications are significant.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization:
“Untreated gonorrhoea or resistance to gonococcal infections causes a large number of health complications include ectopic pregnancy, or spontaneous abortions, which could lead to increased maternal deaths in pregnant women. Severe eye infections in infants born to women with untreated gonorrhoea could lead to blindness, and also increase infertility in men and women.”
Gonorrhoea can be prevented through safer sexual intercourse. Early detection and prompt treatment, including of sexual partners, is essential to control sexually transmitted infections.
WHO’s Global Action Plan to control the spread and impact of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoea also calls for increased monitoring and reporting of resistant strains as well as better prevention, diagnosis and control of gonococcal infections.
SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Carmem Lúcia Pessoa-Silva, Team Leader, Antimicrobial Drug Resistance, World Health Organization:
“The good news is that the solutions are in our hands. It is about how we govern, how we consume and how we produce. So governments so commit to comprehensive national plans to combat microbial resistance. Prescribers should prescribe antimicrobials only when needed. The patients, the consumers, they should use the antimicrobials for the full course, appropriately. And those dealing with food producing animals should use antimicrobials in these food producing animals only for therapeutic purposes.”
The extent of antimicrobial resistance worldwide is not known due to lack of reliable data for gonorrhoea in many countries and insufficient research.
