Dear colleague
I am pleased to inform you of the publication of National Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Gonorrhoea and for Minimising the impact of Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria Gonorrhoeae on the website of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). This is a post-consultation draft, pending sign-off by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the HPSC.

The guidelines recommend the establishment of a national multi-disciplinary forum to provide expert advice on prevention, treatment, and control of gonorrhoea. National anti-microbial resistance in gonorrhoea surveillance, a national reference laboratory, and sustained sexual health promotion campaigns using a combination of approaches are recommended. Guidance on clinical management of gonorrhoea, partner notification, laboratory diagnosis and the public health response to suspected cephalosporin resistance Neisseria gonorrhoeae is provided.

I would like to thank my colleagues on the Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae sub-committee of the HPSC Scientific Advisory Committee for their hard work on these guidelines.

The guidelines are available on the HPSC website at http://www.hpsc.ie/A-Z/HIVSTIs/SexuallyTransmittedInfections/Gonorrhoea/Publications/.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Sarah Doyle, MCRN 19055,
Consultant in Public Health Medicine,
Chair Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae sub-committee of the HPSC Scientific Advisory Committee