New Federal Guidelines Recommend Common Antibiotics for Treating STIs

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outline for the first time which risk groups healthcare professionals should recommend using a common antibiotic to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The recommendations come amid rising rates of bacterial STIs that threaten the health of millions of Americans. Over the past decade, reported STIs have increased 42 percent between 2011 and 2021, with more than 2.5 million cases reported in 2021 alone, according to the CDC.

Syphilis cases especially rose 17 percent last year and 80 percent over the past five years, a separate CDC report concluded.

Syphilis was nearly eradicated in the 1990s in the U.S., but has returned with a vengeance due to years of public health underfunding, along with rising rates of substance use and the mental health crisis.

Studies have shown that the so-called doxy PEP regimen led to a decrease in common STIs such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea. The agency said a prescription for doxy PEP for 12 months after a diagnosis could prevent about 40% of STIs in affected populations.

The guidelines recommend that healthcare providers offer a single dose of 200 milligrams of doxycycline to gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, as well as transgender women, to be taken as soon as possible, within 72 hours. after having unprotected sex. The prescription must account for sufficient doses based on the person’s anticipated sexual activity until the next appointment.

The ongoing need for doxy PEP should be assessed every 3–6 months, the agency said. Any member of these groups diagnosed with an STI in the last 12 months should receive advice that doxy PEP can be used as post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent these infections.

The guidance is specific to populations that would likely benefit most – gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had an STI in the previous 12 months and who were at high risk of becoming reinfected.

Doxycycline is a common, inexpensive antibiotic used to prevent infections such as malaria and Lyme disease. It is also the recommended treatment regimen for chlamydia and an alternative treatment for syphilis in non-pregnant patients with severe penicillin allergy or when penicillin is not available. But until recently, it hadn’t been used to prevent STIs.

Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), said local health officials believe the guidance has the potential to be a “game changer” by making such an inexpensive medicine more widely accessible. it is efficient.

“Nothing is a panacea, but this has the potential to be a real change in our ability to make a difference in high rates [of STIs] we’re seeing,” Plescia said, with the potential to not only slow the increase but also accelerate a decrease.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story