CDC updates guidelines for treatment of gonorrhoea

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommends cefixime as a first-line treatment for gonorrhoea. The change was based on evidence that susceptibility to the drug decreased among U.S. Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates between 2006 and 2011.
In its 2010 treatment guidelines, the CDC recommended combination therapy with a cephalosporin (ceftriaxone or cefixime) plus oral azithromycin or doxycycline. In an update, published in MMWR, the CDC has changed the guideline to recommend only ceftriaxone (250 mg single intramuscular dose) as the first-line cephalosporin in the combination regimen.
The updated guidelines allow use of cefixime (400 mg single oral dose) if ceftriaxone is not available, and recommend test-of-cure at 1 week for patients treated with cefixime.
Very recently the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for urgent action to limit the spread and impact of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, citing reports of emerging resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics — the last-line treatment in gonococcal infection.
Along with proper treatment the WHO's action plan emphasises education and prevention, with special attention to high-risk groups such as sex workers and men who have sex with men, treatment of partners (patients may deliver treatment to their partners) and better surveillance and reporting of drug-resistant cases.