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A man in Austria is hospitalized after bringing home a most unwelcome vacation souvenir--the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.
But not just any gonorrhea--the man is fighting "Super Gonorrhea" that is resistant to the disease's usual treatment, a course of antibiotics.
The man, who is in his 50s, contracted the infectious sexually transmitted disease (STI) after having unprotected sex while vacationing in Cambodia.
Doctors are saying untreatable gonorrhea like his could become a global health concern.
\u201cMan contracts 'super gonorrhea' infection that is resistant to medicine https://t.co/FGjFrGc93w\u201d— indy100 (@indy100) 1655907565
According to a report in the medical journal Eurosurveillance, the man contracted the infection after having unprotected sex with a female sex worker in Cambodia five days before symptoms appeared.
There is no vaccine for gonorrhea and the disease has been treated effectively with a round of antibiotics for decades. But health officials warn the ease of treating the infection may be coming to an end.
Officials blame the overprescription of antibiotics for the establishment of "super" strains of infection that were once easy to treat.
A World Health Organization spokesperson issued a warning about precisely this impact on gonorrhea back in 2020, telling the UK's The Sun newspaper:
"Overuse of antibiotics in the community can fuel the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea."
Particularly in urgent care centers, antibiotics are routinely prescribed in the US for ailments like cold and flu for which they have no effect whatsoever.
A 2016 CDC study revealed that totally unnecessary rounds of antibiotics like these account for "at least 30%" of US antibiotic prescriptions.
This has led to a whole host of antibiotic-resistant infections, including diseases like tuberculosis and MRSA--and "super gonorrhea" like the Austrian man's, which Eurosurveillance warned could become a global threat.
"If such strains manage to establish a sustained transmission, many gonorrhea cases might become untreatable."
On Twitter, people were definitely unnerved by the Austrian man's story, even if they couldn't help but crack wise about it.
\u201cFirst it was monkeypox now there's super gonorrhea \ud83e\udd21\ud83c\udf0e\u201d— DrKatPhD\ud83d\udc2d typer of typos (@DrKatPhD\ud83d\udc2d typer of typos) 1655841915
\u201cYikes! \ud83d\ude33\n\u2026\n\nA man contracted a new antibiotic-resistant 'super gonorrhea' strain after having sex on an international trip https://t.co/7sWsFghiTy\u201d— evie \u10e6 \ud83c\udf3b (@evie \u10e6 \ud83c\udf3b) 1655852915
\u201cNot now, #super #gonorrhea https://t.co/JWxAqjDvYJ\u201d— AI6YR (@AI6YR) 1655907456
\u201cI\u2019ll have to say \u201csuper gonorrhea\u201d doesn\u2019t sound too super\u2026\n\nhttps://t.co/aHnSa73lAw\u201d— Pusencer\ud83e\udd63\ud83d\udc8a\ud83d\udc89 (@Pusencer\ud83e\udd63\ud83d\udc8a\ud83d\udc89) 1655887897
\u201cI'm holding out for "Super Duper Gonorrhea".\u201d— Macroaggressions Podcast with Charlie Robinson (@Macroaggressions Podcast with Charlie Robinson) 1655843489
\u201c'Super Gonorrhea'? \nHonestly, they're stretching it now with these superhero franchises.\u201d— El Christo (@El Christo) 1655910458
\u201cWhat is the world coming to if you can no longer safely have unprotected sex with a Cambodian prostitute?\nhttps://t.co/OAAAEtFgA4\u201d— RAMZPAUL (@RAMZPAUL) 1655925817
\u201cSuper gonorrhea has entered the chat\u201d— bald barbie baddie (@bald barbie baddie) 1655216149
\u201cJust read a article about some man getting \u201cSuper-Gonorrhea\u201d. This shit is apparently immune to antibiotics used to treat the infection. Hope y\u2019all are strapping up ya soldiers cause this shit is wild lmao\u201d— Austin (@Austin) 1655901190
\u201cThere has never been a worse time to get the clap.\nhttps://t.co/mPu1EbnLJK\u201d— Baxter Bentley (@Baxter Bentley) 1655897353
When untreated, gonorrhea can spread easily and quickly throughout the body and can cause infertility in both men and women. In worst case scenarios, it can also be deadly.
According to the CDC, it is one of the most common STIs in the US, infecting an estimated 1 in 5 Americans.