Gonorrhea is rapidly becoming untreatable, health officials warn.
Antibiotic-resistant cases of the sexually-transmitted disease rocketed more than 400 per cent between 2013 and 2014, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Medics are trying to combat the issue by combining the only two drugs that kill Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria.
But in an ominous analysis released on Thursday, the CDC said there is a strong possibility this approach will soon become ineffective.
Antibiotic-resistant cases of gonorrhea (pictured) rocketed more than 400 per cent between 2013 and 2014
‘The confluence of emerging drug resistance and very limited alternative options for treatment creates a perfect storm for future gonorrhea treatment failure in the US,’ said Dr Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for preventing HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, STD, and tuberculosis.
‘History shows us that bacteria will find a way to outlast the antibiotics we’re using to treat it.
‘We are running just one step ahead in order to preserve the remaining treatment option for as long as possible.’