“Chief Medical Officer warns on spread of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea”

“With two cases of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea recently detected, the Federal Government has released a health alert and information to assist healthcare professionals identify and prevent spreading of the disease.

“One case of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea detected in Western Australia, along with a second in Queensland, have prompted the Department of Health (DoH) to release a suite of resources designed to help healthcare professionals identify the disease.

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy released a statement reiterating the importance of practising safe sex to prevent infection of gonorrhoea.

In addition to continuing to provide information about practising safe sex, it is recommended GPs use the DoH’s resources to apply preventive health measures when consulting with patients, including obtaining a travel history and taking swabs for culture and antimicrobial resistance testing, wherever possible.

Professor Murphy stresses that these types of tests are particularly relevant for those who may have acquired the disease in south-east Asia, with evidence suggesting that one of the cases in Australia was acquired in that region.”

Source: RACGP