Health

Advisory

RECOMMENDED CHANGES IN THE TREATMENT OF GONORRHEA

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) wishes to alert the Delaware medical community about an important report from the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC’s April 12, 2007 MMWR contains new Gonococcal Isolate

Surveillance Project (GISP) data showing increases in resistance to fluoroquinolones (including Cipro) in the treatment of gonorrhea. The

data showed that among heterosexual men, the proportion of gonorrhea cases that were fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae

(QRNG) reached 6.7 percent in the first half of 2006, an 11-fold increase from 0.6 percent in 2001.

Based on this new information, CDC is now recommending that fluoroquinolones no longer be used as the first-line treatment of gonorrhea.

CDC is now recommending that the injectable antibiotic ceftriaxone (Rocephin) be used instead as the primary treatment of GC infection.

Another recommended drug, cefixime (Suprax), is also recommended but is currently only available in liquid form in the United States.

Specific updated treatment recommendations can be obtained at http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/2006/updated-regimens.htm

In 2006, approximately 1435 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Delaware Division of Public Health, of those, 2 cases were drug

resistant GC (1 in a male and 1 in a female). These cases represent less than 1 percent of all GC reported to Delaware Division of Public

Health in 2006.

For further information, contact DPH by calling (302) 744-1050.