GENEVA, Switzerland –The World Health Organisation (WHO) is sounding the alarm on the growing threat of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) that is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
According to new data from the WHO’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime, the primary antibiotics used to treat gonorrhoea, has risen sharply from 0.8% to 5% and from 1.7% to 11% respectively between 2022 and 2024.
The EGASP survey indicates that resistance to azithromycin remained stable at 4%, while resistance to ciprofloxacin reached a staggering 95%. Countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam reported the highest rates of resistance.
The data comes from 12 EGASP countries in five WHO regions, which reported 3,615 cases of gonorrhoea in 2024. The majority of cases (52%) were reported from countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region, including the Philippines (28%), Vietnam (12%), Cambodia (9%), and Indonesia (3%).
Key Statistics show that resistance rates for Ceftriaxone rose from 0.8% to 5% (2022-2024), with Cefixim registering 1.7% to 11%, (2022-2024), and Ciprofloxacin at 95%.
During the period, the WHO African Region has 28%, while the Western Pacific Region (52%), the South-East Asia Region, especially Thailand (13%), the Eastern Mediterranean Region at 4% (Qatar), and the Americas Region at 2% (Brazil).
The report further indicates that patient demographics median age was at 27 years (range: 12-94), 20% of cases: men who have sex with men (MSM), and 42% of cases reported multiple sexual partners within the past 30 days
Consequently, the WHO is calling for urgent investment in national surveillance systems to track and contain drug-resistant infections. The organisation is also working to advance genomic surveillance and develop new treatments, including zoliflodacin and gepotidacin.
Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis & STIs, emphasised the importance of global action against drug-resistant infections, saying,
“This global effort is essential to tracking, preventing, and responding to drug-resistant gonorrhoea and protecting public health worldwide”
