NACCHO Highlights Results of New CDC Data on Gonorrhea Treatment Effectiveness

Appropriate Treatment Especially Critical in Light of Recent Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea Cases Says the National Association of County and City Health Officials

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, April 26, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new analysis in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMRW), “Adherence to CDC Recommendations for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Gonorrhea, STD Surveillance Network (SSuN), 2016.”

The new data shows that 81 percent of all patients diagnosed with gonorrhea were treated with the CDC-recommended dual therapy of ceftriaxone and azithromycin. This dual therapy has been the recommended treatment in recent years to attempt to slow the emergence and spread of drug resistance in gonorrhea. In particular, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, is encouraged by the data showing that patients visiting STD and reproductive health clinics are the most likely to receive the CDC-recommended dual therapy (91 and 94 percent respectively), compared with other healthcare settings, which provided the recommended dual therapy only 80 percent of the time. “These findings underscore that publicly funded STD and reproductive health clinics provide quality STD care,” said NACCHO Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs Laura Hanen, MPP. “However, we need all healthcare settings performing at this level in order to effectively treat gonorrhea, prevent new infections, and slow the threat of drug resistant gonorrhea.”
 
Continued Hanen, “This data shows how essential the work of health departments is in the effort to treat STDs, especially in light of potential drug resistant gonorrhea. This requires that local health departments monitor adherence to CDC’s recommendations, educate providers on the treatment of gonorrhea in accordance with those guidelines, and continue to work with providers and patients to assure timely detection and treatment of gonorrhea. The CDC must have adequate funding to ensure local and state health departments are equipped to undertake these efforts, while still serving other aspects of their community’s health. An infusion of resources at the local level is essential to the efforts to respond to the nationwide increases in STDs.”

The data on which this analysis was made was from the CDC’s SSuN (Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Network), an innovative information network that delivers enhanced, updated data on STDs. This data allows for the access and use of quickly delivered, updated, and specific STD data to be monitored and tracked by health departments. SSuN data provides a fuller picture than traditional surveillance data, thereby allowing for quicker responses and improved allocation of scarce resources. This in turn allows for more effective treatment methods—such as the adoption of the dual therapy regimen in the treatment of gonorrhea.

One example of a local health department benefitting from SSuN data is Oregon’s Multnomah County Health Department. “The SSuN data has allowed our health department to measure differences in gonorrhea rates in specific racial and geographic communities, so that we can focus our resources to make the biggest difference for clients,'' said Rachael Banks, Multnomah County Public Health Director.

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

Theresa Spinner
National Association of County and City Health Officials
202-783-5551
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