The Plain Truth's: Your Health Today ONLINE: Doctors warn that antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea could be 'worse than AIDS'

Doctors are warning that an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhoea, now considered a superbug, has the potential to be as deadly as the AIDS virus.

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in North America.

This particular strain of gonorrhea, known as HO41, was discovered in Japan two years ago in a 31-year-old female sex worker who had been screened in 2009. The bacteria has since been found in Hawaii, California and Norway.

In a bid to avoid contracting gonorrhea, in particular the HO41 strain, people are encouraged to practice safe sex

HO41 has so far proved resistant to current antibiotic treatment and so it has been placed in the superbug category.

‘This might be a lot worse than AIDS in the short run because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly,’ Alan Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine told CNBC.

Nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS related causes worldwide, but Christianson believes the effect of the gonorrhea bacteria is more direct.