UK man caught with world's 'worst-ever' case of super-gonorrhoea. What is super-gonorrhoea?

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New Delhi: A man in the United Kingdom has been infected with the worst-ever case of gonorrhoea in the world. According to a report in the BBC, he got the infection earlier this year after a sexual encounter with a woman in South East Asia. Public Health England says it is the first time the infection cannot be cured with first choice antibiotics.

As per the report, the main antibiotic treatment - a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone - has failed to treat the infection. Health officials are now tracing other sexual partners of the man in an attempt to contain the infection's spread.

This is the first report of such a case of gonorrhoea in the world.

The World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control agreed that the case is a first, as per BBC.

What is gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

It is a disease caused by the bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

It is transmitted through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal intercourse

The disease can spread through sexual contact with an infected person.

The infections can also spread from a mother to a child during birth.

A person with gonorrhoea may have no symptoms, but can still transmit the infection.

The bacteria can lead to serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women and inflammation of the epididymis in men.

If left untreated, it can spread to joints or heart valves.