By Rewa Atre
The level of efficiency at which modern medicine diagnoses and cures diseases is astounding, and it’s easy to take access to good health for granted. Of all the impressive medical discoveries from the last 100 years, the development of antibiotics might be one of the most valuable advancements of our time. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, doctors have been prescribing bottles and bottles of antibiotics to the public on a regular basis, to treat anything from ear infections to acne. In the last few decades or so, the rampant overuse of antibiotics has created a nasty situation in which certain bacterial strains have acquired a resistance to the medications used to treat them. This phenomenon is called antibiotic resistance and it’s becoming a huge problem plaguing the health system.
But why should you care about any of this?
Picture getting a UTI you can’t cure, or a sinus infection, or gonorrhea. Now that sounds terrifying.
Antibiotic resistant sexually transmitted diseases do exist. As long as bacteria cause the disease, there’s a chance that certain resistant strains, AKA superbugs, are the cause. Every year, 500 million people contract a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, which means a lot of antibiotic prescriptions are being given out. It’s this overuse that contributes to conditions perfect for these superbugs to develop.
So how do bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance in the first place? Think of it this way: if you attack a surface with a bacteria-killing cleaning spray every day for a few days, at first, the bacteria are going to be eliminated except for a few survivors. But then those remaining bacteria are going to multiply. Soon you’ll be faced with bacteria that have acclimated to their new environment and cannot be destroyed easily.
Sexually transmitted infections caused by bacteria are currently the most curable; these include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Syphilis used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world before penicillin was introduced. The problem is that since people are aware that successful cures exist for these diseases, the attitude associated with contracting these diseases have changed. Why be afraid of a disease if you can just take medication and get rid of it? The problem is, since the late 20th century, the bacteria that cause these STDs have been acquiring a resistance to the medication commonly used to treat it; this combined with a significant decrease in condom use in teens and young adults spells for a risky situation.
So what happens if you contract an antibiotic resistant strain? The Center for Disease Control estimates that Americans pay an average of $20 billion a year on health care costs related to antibiotic resistant bacteria. The issue lies in the fact that once the majority of bacterial STD infections become resistant to the medication already out there, there aren’t many alternatives that will be nearly as effective. The prognosis for untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia infection is pretty nasty because both diseases can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and in serious cases can cause infertility in both men and women. What does syphilis do if it’s left untreated? That’s too disturbing to get into right now, but I’ll say that involves genital ulcers and insanity.
So how can you reduce your chance of contracting a superbug? Here are a few tips:
1. Listen to a doctor’s instruction when prescribed antibiotics. Always take them as often as recommended and for as long as recommended. Stopping your treatment too early can possibly cause the bad bacteria to develop a resistance to the medication before you’re completely cured.
2. Incorporate some new habits into your daily routine that could help prevent your need for antibiotics in the first place. Are you susceptible to getting urinary tract infections? Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice will help because cranberries contain properties that prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of your urethra. Also, peeing after sex (especially if you have a vagina) can help reduce your risk of getting bad bacteria in places where it shouldn’t be. UTIs are not sexually transmitted diseases, but they are caused by an introduction of foreign bacteria to the urethra, which is sometimes caused by having sex. The treatment is similar to that for STDs, which is a round of antibiotics.
3. Practice safe sex by using latex barriers, like condoms and dental dams, which can significantly reduce your risk of contracting a bacterial infection. It’s common to contract a bacterial infection from receiving or performing oral sex, so it’s good to cover all your bases.
4. Get tested for STDs and STIs with a new partner, or partners, if you plan on going uncovered.
It’s difficult and scary for many people to have an open dialogue about sexual health, but having that conversation is super important for all sexually active people, especially young adults. Medication is a great last resort, but we as a student population should be making some much-needed changes to our sexual habits to keep sex fun and minimally harmful.
Rewa Atre is a Jersey-born Indian-American Communication Disorders major who’s super passionate about judgement-free health education, particularly regarding uncomfortable topics. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making green juice, fangirling about Game of Thrones, and watching cheesy sci-fi horror movies.
The level of efficiency at which modern medicine diagnoses and cures diseases is astounding, and it’s easy to take access to good health for granted. Of all the impressive medical discoveries from the last 100 years, the development of antibiotics might be one of the most valuable advancements of our time. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, doctors have been prescribing bottles and bottles of antibiotics to the public on a regular basis, to treat anything from ear infections to acne. In the last few decades or so, the rampant overuse of antibiotics has created a nasty situation in which certain bacterial strains have acquired a resistance to the medications used to treat them. This phenomenon is called antibiotic resistance and it’s becoming a huge problem plaguing the health system.
But why should you care about any of this?
Picture getting a UTI you can’t cure, or a sinus infection, or gonorrhea. Now that sounds terrifying.
Antibiotic resistant sexually transmitted diseases do exist. As long as bacteria cause the disease, there’s a chance that certain resistant strains, AKA superbugs, are the cause. Every year, 500 million people contract a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, which means a lot of antibiotic prescriptions are being given out. It’s this overuse that contributes to conditions perfect for these superbugs to develop.
So how do bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance in the first place? Think of it this way: if you attack a surface with a bacteria-killing cleaning spray every day for a few days, at first, the bacteria are going to be eliminated except for a few survivors. But then those remaining bacteria are going to multiply. Soon you’ll be faced with bacteria that have acclimated to their new environment and cannot be destroyed easily.
Sexually transmitted infections caused by bacteria are currently the most curable; these include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Syphilis used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world before penicillin was introduced. The problem is that since people are aware that successful cures exist for these diseases, the attitude associated with contracting these diseases have changed. Why be afraid of a disease if you can just take medication and get rid of it? The problem is, since the late 20th century, the bacteria that cause these STDs have been acquiring a resistance to the medication commonly used to treat it; this combined with a significant decrease in condom use in teens and young adults spells for a risky situation.
So what happens if you contract an antibiotic resistant strain? The Center for Disease Control estimates that Americans pay an average of $20 billion a year on health care costs related to antibiotic resistant bacteria. The issue lies in the fact that once the majority of bacterial STD infections become resistant to the medication already out there, there aren’t many alternatives that will be nearly as effective. The prognosis for untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia infection is pretty nasty because both diseases can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and in serious cases can cause infertility in both men and women. What does syphilis do if it’s left untreated? That’s too disturbing to get into right now, but I’ll say that involves genital ulcers and insanity.
So how can you reduce your chance of contracting a superbug? Here are a few tips:
1. Listen to a doctor’s instruction when prescribed antibiotics. Always take them as often as recommended and for as long as recommended. Stopping your treatment too early can possibly cause the bad bacteria to develop a resistance to the medication before you’re completely cured.
2. Incorporate some new habits into your daily routine that could help prevent your need for antibiotics in the first place. Are you susceptible to getting urinary tract infections? Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice will help because cranberries contain properties that prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of your urethra. Also, peeing after sex (especially if you have a vagina) can help reduce your risk of getting bad bacteria in places where it shouldn’t be. UTIs are not sexually transmitted diseases, but they are caused by an introduction of foreign bacteria to the urethra, which is sometimes caused by having sex. The treatment is similar to that for STDs, which is a round of antibiotics.
3. Practice safe sex by using latex barriers, like condoms and dental dams, which can significantly reduce your risk of contracting a bacterial infection. It’s common to contract a bacterial infection from receiving or performing oral sex, so it’s good to cover all your bases.
4. Get tested for STDs and STIs with a new partner, or partners, if you plan on going uncovered.
It’s difficult and scary for many people to have an open dialogue about sexual health, but having that conversation is super important for all sexually active people, especially young adults. Medication is a great last resort, but we as a student population should be making some much-needed changes to our sexual habits to keep sex fun and minimally harmful.
Rewa Atre is a Jersey-born Indian-American Communication Disorders major who’s super passionate about judgement-free health education, particularly regarding uncomfortable topics. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making green juice, fangirling about Game of Thrones, and watching cheesy sci-fi horror movies.