By our Reporter
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that gonorrhoea is increasingly resistant to antibiotics, based on data from its Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP). The programme, launched in 2015, tracks drug-resistant gonorrhoea to guide treatment and public health measures.
Between 2022 and 2024, resistance to ceftriaxone rose from 0.8% to 5%, cefixime from 1.7% to 11%, and ciprofloxacin reached 95%, while azithromycin remained at 4%. Cambodia and Viet Nam reported the highest resistance.
In 2024, 12 countries—Brazil, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malawi, the Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Uganda, and Viet Nam—reported 3,615 cases. Over half of symptomatic male cases (52%) were in the Western Pacific Region. Median patient age was 27; 20% were men who have s+x with men, 42% had multiple recent s+xual partners, 8% used antibiotics recently, and 19% had travelled.
WHO also advanced genomic surveillance with nearly 3,000 samples sequenced and studies on new antibiotics like zoliflodacin and gepotidacin. EGASP expanded to Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Qatar, and India (2025). Challenges remain, including funding gaps, incomplete reporting, and limited data from women and extragenital sites. WHO calls for urgent investment to strengthen global gonorrhoea surveillance.
