WHO Gonococcal AMR Surveillance Programme

Gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibilities:

In 2019-2020, 68 countries in six WHO regions reported data on antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae to the WHO global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (WHO-GASP); 51 countries reported through the GASP network and 17 countries through the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS). There were 38 countries reporting data with the recommended ≥ 100 gonococcal isolates for at least one antibiotic. Among 68 countries reporting susceptibility data for ceftriaxone, 5 (7.4%) countries reported that ≥5% of isolates had decreased susceptibility or resistance. Among 54 countries reporting on azithromycin susceptibility, 300 (55.6%) reported ≥5% resistance. Resistant strains in N. gonorrhoeae continue to be a critical challenge to STI prevention and control efforts.

Since 1992 AMR in N. gonorrhoeae has been monitored through the WHO-GASP and since 2016, N. gonorrhoeae is a priority pathogen monitored through the Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS). WHO GASP and GLASS methodology for surveillance of AMR in N. gonorrhoeae are being aligned and data collection is being synergized. In this transition phase, data on AMR in N. gonorrhoeae received through WHO GASP have been integrated with data from GLASS.