| Normalize and increase screening and promote safer sex practices |
To reduce barriers and associated stigma, look for opportunities during routine medical care to have a conversation about STI risks, safer sex practices and the benefits of screening Samples should be taken from all sites of exposure, to increase diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment is provided |
Conduct pretravel counselling
Include a travel history in your risk assessment |
Counsel travellers on the importance of safer sex practices while travelling; depending on the destination, it may be appropriate to discuss the risk of AMR-GC infection specifically If there is a history of unprotected sexual exposure during travel, maintain a heightened index of suspicion for potential AMR-GC infection, and more specifically, a globally emerging resistant strain not currently circulating in Canada |
| Increase the use of cultures for diagnosis and test-of-cure |
NAAT is convenient and highly sensitive and can increase the diagnosis of GC. Culture provides information on antimicrobial susceptibilities prior to treatment and is critical for improved public health monitoring of antimicrobial resistance patterns and trends When signs and/or symptoms are consistent with gonococcal infection, the use of culture along with NAAT is extremely important |
| Provide up-to-date combination therapy for patients and their contacts |
Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, combination therapy is the standard of care choice of combination therapy should be guided by infection site and patient history. AMR resistance patterns may show regional variation Consult the CGSTI or your jurisdiction’s STI guidance for details on treatment recommendations Treatment of all sexual contacts from the previous 60 days is essential. Local public health professionals can assist with contact tracing and notification as needed |
