Global STD crisis as 'incurable' super gonorrhoea, syphilis and chlamydia hit record high

Millions of new infections have been recorded over the last four years alone in the US, health chiefs have said.

It comes after it emerged cases of syphilis reported in England have reached the highest level since 1949 — up almost 150 per cent in 10 years.

There has also been a worrying spike in gonorrhoea and the emergence of so-called super gonorrhoea — which is drug resistant.

And the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US suggests it is a worldwide trend.

There were almost 2.3million Americans with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis last year, up from 1.7million in 2013, the CDC revealed.

Their report, released in September, said Chlamydia was most common in women — while gonorrhoea and syphilis were more common in men.

Syphilis infected almost eight men to every woman, according to the findings.

Teens aged 15 to 19 and adults aged 20 to 29 are the groups at highest risk of infection in the States.

And surprisingly, rates of gonorrhoea and chlamydia were among their highest in the typically conservative "Bible belt" areas of the South.

Syphilis was most common in Nevada, California and Louisiana.

In the UK, public health officials warned of the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhoea — thought to have been carried from Southeast Asia earlier this year.

Commenting on the drug-resistant strain, the CDC said symptoms include a burning sensation while urinating and a green or yellow discharge.

A statement from the CDC said: “The emergence of cephalosporin–resistant gonorrhoea would significantly complicate the ability of providers to treat gonorrhoea successfully, since we have few antibiotic options left that are simple, well-studied, well-tolerated and highly effective.”

There were 422,000 new STD cases in 2017, according to a Public Health England report earlier this year.

Of these, there were 7,137 diagnoses of syphilis — a 20 per cent increase compared with 2016 and a 148 per cent increase from 2008.

Cases of gonorrhoea were up 22 per cent from 2016, while the number of chlamydia cases dropped eight per cent.

Those most at risk of infections were young heterosexuals aged 15 to 24, black ethnic minorities, and gay 0r bisexual men.

Meanwhile in Australia, STD cases increased by 107 per cent and gonorrhoea increased by 63 per cent between 2011 and 2016, CNN reported.

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