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Cerro Gordo Health Department warns anti-microbial resistant gonorrhea on the rise in area

MASON CITY – Preliminary data provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health is showing an alarming increase in confirmed gonorrhea cases in Cerro Gordo County. In 2019 there were 35 reported cases of gonorrhea in Cerro Gordo County. By the end of 2020 there were 110 cases of gonorrhea reported in the county, an increase of about 214%. To add to this concern, gonorrhea is showing an increased resistance to treatment, showing the need for consistent testing and preventative measures. “CG Public Health typically sees about 3-7 cases in a year, the rest being reported by other providers,” states Sam Severson, Disease Prevention Specialist and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Program Coordinator at CG Public Health. “In December of 2020 we had 14 cases alone.”

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that, if left untreated, can cause infertility. In January of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altered the course of treatment to include a much more powerful antibiotic due to an increased resistance to traditional antibiotic treatments. Antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea is of increasing concern, and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult. Men and women with gonorrhea should be retested three months after treatment of the initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.

“The best defense against sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhea, is prevention,” adds Severson. “STDs are preventable through consistent and correct condom use during sex, getting tested regularly for STDs and HIV, and getting treated for positive results. Condoms are proven to decrease your chance of infection by 98%.”

CG Public Health offers free and confidential STD and HIV testing, as well as free condoms, at our Mason City offices located at 2570 4th ST SW, Suite 1. Mason City, IA 50401-4655. Call us today to for more information and to schedule your test at 641-421-9300.

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