Gonorrhoea: Canada

After declining for 2 decades, the reported rate of gonorrhea in Canada has risen > 40% over the past 5 years.

In 2001, > 6,000 cases were reported, the highest burden of disease occurring among males < 30 years old. Canadian provincial laboratories submit all gonococcal isolates with decreased susceptibility to at least one antibiotic to the national laboratory for further testing. In the last 5 years, the national laboratory received 3,000-5,000 isolates per year.

In the last decade, the incidence of ciprofloxacin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae (minimal inhibitory concentration of drug 1.0 mg/L) has increased more than 200-fold, from 0.01% to 2.1%. In 2001, such resistance was identified in 4.4% of isolates tested in Atlantic Canada, 2.1% in central Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and 2.4% in Western Canada.

Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal, Volume 168, Number 7, 1 April 2003