Women have been warned about the spread of an increasingly dangerous ‘stealth’ sexually transmitted infection that makes women infertile.
One in every 100 British adults aged 18 to 44 are already thought to be infected with the Mycoplasma genitalium bug – known as MG.
But specialists warn this is set to double within 10 years as the infection rapidly becomes untreatable.
The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) believes 3,000 women a year could lose the ability to have children if the STI becomes untreatable.
The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) has published the first official guidelines on management of MG on Wednesday.
Paddy Horner, of BASHH, said last night: “MG has the potential to become a superbug within a decade, resistant to standard antibiotics.
“The greatest consequence of this is for the women who present with pelvic inflammatory disease caused by MG, which would be very hard to treat, putting them at increased risk of infertility.”
The infection was discovered in 1981 but very few people – even doctors – knew about it until recently.
That is because it is commonly misdiagnosed as Chlamydia, another STI.
This common mistake has meant the bug has been quietly getting stronger and more prevalent – and because it has been treated with the wrong drugs is now very resistant to any antibiotic.
Because antibiotic-resistance is higher in many other countries, doctors say holiday romances could drive the spread. -Daily Mail
