More countries report rising levels of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, warns WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection, is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, according to new data from its Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), which monitors the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhoea. The report highlights the need to strengthen surveillance, improve diagnostic capacity and ensure equitable access to new treatments for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The release of the new data coincides with World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, reinforcing the importance of global action against drug-resistant infections. EGASP, launched by WHO in 2015, collects laboratory and clinical data from sentinel sites around the world to track AMR and inform treatment guidelines.“This global effort is essential to tracking, preventing, and responding to drug-resistant gonorrhoea and to protecting public health worldwide,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director o