Gonorrhea is becoming more difficult to treat with readily available antibiotics, and it may be just a matter of time before a case shows up in California that doesn’t respond to any of the drugs currently in use.

This week, the world’s first case of drug-resistant gonorrhea – in a sex worker in Japan – was reported during a conference on sexually transmitted disease research. And last week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported increased rates of gonorrhea cases that, while not quite resistant to antibiotics, are requiring larger doses to treat effectively.

Gonorrhea is still relatively easy to cure, and in the United States there has yet to be a patient who wasn’t successfully treated with antibiotics. but it’s likely that a strain of gonorrhea that doesn’t respond to the current treatments will begin circulating worldwide at some point – and doctors have run out of new antibiotics to replace the old ones.

“We’re not seeing any untreatable cases in the United States, but we’re seeing proof that what we’ve been worrying about for a while has actually happened” in Japan, said Dr. Susan Philip, director of STD prevention for the San Francisco Public Health Department. “If previous patterns hold true, drug resistance should slowly move its way toward us.”

S.F. has high rate

Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia, and San Francisco has among the highest rates of disease in the state and country. The city reported nearly 2,000 cases of gonorrhea in 2010, for a rate of 253 cases per 100,000 people; statewide, the rate is roughly 70 cases per 100,000 people.

While gonorrhea cases had been declining in recent years, San Francisco reported a 10 percent increase last year. there are several possible explanations for that increase – better and faster testing of STDs, for example – but epidemiologists say drug resistance could be a factor, too.

Gonorrhea is a bacterium that typically infects the male and female reproductive tracts, the rectum or the mouth. Symptoms can include a burning sensation when urinating and a discharge from the penis or vagina. but half of women, and a small percentage of men, have no symptoms, and if the infection is in the rectum or mouth, most people won’t know it.

Untreated gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women, and people infected with gonorrhea are more susceptible to contracting HIV.

Antibiotics fading

For decades, gonorrhea was treated with penicillin but, like many other bacteria, gonorrhea mutates quickly and often, and eventually strains that didn’t respond to penicillin were circulating widely around the world.

Now that antibiotic isn’t working as well as it once did. Cephalosporin is still an effective treatment for gonorrhea, but over the past decade, public health labs have found more cases that require higher doses of the antibiotic to kill the bacteria.

In California, 4.5 percent of cases needed higher doses in 2010; there were no such cases in 2000. Higher doses are usually the first sign that the bacteria is building resistance to a drug.

“We’re down to our last class of antibiotics that we use to treat gonorrhea,” said Dr. Heidi Bauer, chief of program development and evaluation in the California public health department’s STD Control Branch. “One by one we’ve had to eliminate these other classes because this bacteria is so good at resistance.”

THE Philippine Thyroid Association (PTA) will hold its 26th Annual Convention on January 21, 2011 at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, with the theme "Thyroid Diseases: Concerns in Clinical Practice".

"We urge the general public to be vigilant against thyroid disorders. these include hyperthyroidism, which if left untreated can lead to heart failure and even death, and hypothyroidism particularly in pregnant women, which can cause low IQ in babies. Early detection and treatment of thyroid disorders is very important," said PTA President Dr. Susan Yu-Gan.

Located in the front of the neck, the thyroid gland produces hormones that control metabolism (process by which every cell in the body uses energy). Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland releases too much of its hormones. many diseases and conditions can cause hyperthyroidism; these include excessive iodine or thyroid hormone intake, inflammation of the thyroid due to viral infections or other causes, noncancerous growths of the thyroid or pituitary gland, and Graves disease (most common cause). "Hyperthyroidism is often hereditary. There are no known ways to prevent it," Dr. Yu-Gan said.

Common symptoms of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, palpitation (rapid, irregular heartbeat), tremors (often in the hands), heat intolerance, increased sweating, frequent bowel movement, irritability, and goiter (enlarged thyroid gland). "around 6 million Filipinos have goiter," noted Dr. Yu-Gan. she cited the latest nationwide survey done by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) in cooperation with the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (PSEM) showing that 5.8% of those surveyed had thyroid function abnormality, 5% of who had subclinical hyperthyroidism (no symptoms) and less than 1% had true hyperthyroidism.

There are currently four available drugs for hyperthyroidism: methimazole, carbimazole, thiamazole and propylthiouracil. "these drugs suppress the thyroid gland from producing too much thyroid hormone. Patients usually take anti-hyperthyroidism medication for 18 to 24 months," said Dr. Yu-Gan. she pointed out that surgery should only be done once the patient is already "euthyroid" or has normal thyroid function. The third treatment option for hyperthyroidism is radioactive iodine. "each treatment has benefits and risks so patients should thoroughly discuss hyperthyroid treatment options with their physician," Dr. Yu-Gan explained.

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Updated: 11/09/10 9:42 p.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Health officials are warning the public about an outbreak of a highly contagious intestinal illness in several suburban schools.

CBS 2′s Pamela Jones reports the symptoms feel like the flu – and there’s no cure.

You can catch it after simply touching a microwave, a door handle, or a faucet.

The Cook County Department of Public Health has issued an alert to suburban schools.

“It’s what people popularly call the stomach flu. What it really is, is diarrhea, vomiting, maybe a low-grade fever, abdominal pain,” said Dr. Susan Gerber, Cook County Dept. of Public Health.

Experts have confirmed infections consistent with noroviruses–a nasty stomach bug often contracted on cruise ships–in more than two dozen areas in the south and northwest suburbs.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s John Cody Reports

Right now, 25 schools across the area have reported students out sick with symptoms of norovirus illness.

“These are just the reports that have been reported to us. so we believe that there are other illnesses out there,” said Dr. Gerber.

Des Plaines School District 62 has students showing the symptoms. That district is using its website to warn parents because of how easily the virus spreads.

It’s passed when an infected person uses the restroom, then heads straight for the door. The bottom line is: somebody didn’t wash their hands.

“That’s exactly right. I mean, the chief way to protect yourself is washing your hands with soap and water,” said Dr. Gerber.

“We cannot stress enough how important it is to stay home if you or your child are experiencing any of these symptoms,” Stephen A. Martin, Jr., chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health said in a statement. “Take extra caution to avoid contamination of your hands when tending to an ill child or family member and always encourage good hand hygiene among household members to limit transmission of infection.”

Moms are listening to the advice.

“We wash our hands. Washing hands is good. But, yeah, antibacterial everything, I figure is overkill,” said one mom.

Another mother, of a 7-year-old girl, promises she’ll spend more time washing her hands now.

“Keep a closer eye on her than what we had before, because normally we try to keep a really close eye on her,” she said.

Health experts say people who think they may have the illness should go to the doctor.

Noroviruses are highly contagious organisms that are capable of surviving on surfaces for up to 12 days.People may become infected by consuming contaminated food or beverages, touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then putting their hands in their mouth, and sharing foods or eating utensils with someone who is ill.

Symptoms usually occur 12 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus and may persist for one to three days.Persons with confirmed or suspected norovirus infection must remain home from day care, school, work, and public gatherings for at least 24 hours after being symptom-free. Food handlers must remain off work for at least three days after being symptom-free.