UK to launch 'world first' gonorrhea vaccination drive

LONDON, May 21 (AFP): Health authorities in England on Wednesday announced the rollout of a world first vaccine programme for gonorrhoea, amid record levels of the sexually transmitted disease.

Gonorrhoea cases in England in 2023 topped 85,000, the highest number since records began in 1918, with doctors warning of rising levels of antibiotic resistance.

Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity, hailed the initiative as a "game changer".

"This alone could cut 40 percent of new gonorrhoea cases," he said.