Approximately 350,000 people in the US are diagnosed with gonorrhea each year. According to the CDC, it may soon be untreatable. Currently, the sexually-transmitted disease, not-so-fondly known as The Clap or The Drip, is treated with two antibiotics, azithromycin and ceftriaxone. Data is currently showing a rise in gonorrhea samples that are resistant to those drugs.
Companies are developing new antibiotics but could be “years away,” says CDC medical epidemiologist Robert D. Kirkcaldy.
“We think … it’s a matter of when and not if with resistance,” he says. “This bug is so smart and can mutate so rapidly.”