Australia is facing an urgent threat of an epidemic of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea caused by a strain of the bacteria gonorrhoea which is resistant to most antibiotics. This strain is known as A8806 and was grown from the vaginal discharge of a young female traveller in December 2013.

This strain causes concern over the effectiveness of the antibiotic drug Ceftriaxone used alone to eradicate gonorrhoea infection. It is not clear how widespread A8806 gonorrhoea is in Australia. There are also other antibiotic resistant strains of gonorrhoea which have been isolated.

Sexual health needs more awareness in the community. Most people don’t know that the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world is hepatitis B and that this viral infection can cause chronic liver disease. The incidence of syphilis is increasing worldwide especially amongst homosexual men or bisexual men. A condom is something every sexually active girl and boy should always have handy  – it is still your best protection.