Health Highlights: March 29, 2018

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

U.K. Man Has World’s Worst Case of Super-Gonorrhea

The world’s “worst-ever” case of super-gonorrhea has been diagnosed in a U.K. man who was infected after sex with a woman in south-east Asia, health officials say.

It’s the first case of the sexually-transmitted disease that could not be cured with the main antibiotic treatment, a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone, according to Public Health England, BBC News reported.

The unidentified man picked up the superbug earlier this year and health officials are trying to track down his other sexual partners in an effort to contain the spread of the disease.

“This is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to both of these drugs and to most other commonly used antibiotics,” said Dr. Gwenda Hughes, Public Health England, BBC News reported.

The World Health Organization and the European Centers for Disease Control confirm that this is the first such case in the world, BBC News reported.

Experts worry that this superbug could eventually become resistant to all antibiotics.

“The emergence of this new strain of highly resistant gonorrhea is of huge concern and is a significant development,” Olwen Williams, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, told BBC News.

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Shulkin Dumped as VA Secretary, Trump Nominates His Doctor to Lead Agency

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was fired on Wednesday by President Donald Trump, who nominated White House doctor Ronny Jackson to head the agency.

Jackson is a Navy rear admiral and former Obama administration official, and would be the first non-veteran to head the VA, the Associated Press reported.

Jackson, who has served since 2013 as physician to the president, was described by Trump as “highly trained and qualified.”

However, a major veterans’ group expressed concern that Jackson lacks the experience to lead the VA, the AP reported.

“We are disappointed and already quite concerned about this nominee,” said Joe Chenelly, the national executive director of AMVETS. “The administration needs to be ready to prove that he’s qualified to run such a massive agency, a $200 billion bureaucracy.”

Jackson was selected for his current position by the Obama administration and the White House is hopeful that will make his confirmation process easier, the AP reported.

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