GISP 1998 surveillance supplement

"Gonorrhea is the second most frequently reported communicable disease in the United States. Overall gonorrhea rates in the United States declined 72% since 1975. However, between 1997 and 1998, the rate increased by 8.9% from 122.0 cases per 100,000 persons to 132.9. Gonorrhea rates remain high in the southeastern states, among minorities, and among adolescents of all racial and ethnic groups. The health impact of gonorrhea is largely related to its role as a major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease, which frequently leads to infertility or ectopic pregnancy.2 In addition, recent data suggest that gonorrhea facilitates HIV transmission. Control of gonorrhea has been complicated by the development of resistance to antimicrobial agents. The appearance of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) and chromosomally mediated penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (CMRNG) in the 1970s eventually led to the abandonment of these drugs as therapies for gonorrhea. The currently recommended primary therapies for gonorrhea are two broad-spectrum cephalosporins, ceftriaxone and cefixime, and two fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin.5 However, fluoroquinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae have been reported from many parts of the world, including the United States." -- p. 1.Division of STD Prevention, prepared by Susan A. Wang, Jester Harvey, William C. Levine, Joan S. Knapp, David L. Trees, Manhar Parekh and Sandra W. Neal."November 1999."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 5-6)