Superbug discovered in 2009, to date the new gonorrhoea superbug, known as HO41, has not killed anyone or spread outside Japan. Action to curtail its global spread is imperative

“Getting gonorrhea from this strain might put someone into septic shock and death in a matter of days,” Christianson said. “This is very dangerous.”

The UN’s World Health Organisation is urging governments and health-care practitioners to step up surveillance of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation, infertility, pregnancy complications and in extreme cases, lead to maternal death. Children born to mothers with gonorrhoea have a 50% chance of developing eye infections that can have blindness as a consequence.