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Increase
in Gonorrhea Rate: The incidence of gonorrhea
decreased substantially between 1980 and 2000, with
a 71 percent decrease nationally and a 88 percent decrease
in Hawai'i. While Hawai'i's incidence has been consistently
below the national rate, the incidence in Hawai'i started
to increase in 2000, after reaching an all-time low.
The recent increases may be attributed to an alarming
increase of drug resistance in endemic gonorrhea cases,
which was recently identified by the Department of Health.
One of the three nationally recommended treatments (floroquinolone)
is no longer recommended in Hawai'i.
In 2005, Hawai'i
ranked 25 among all states for its rate of gonorrhea
per 100,000 population.1
Gonorrhea by Gender and Age Group:
Data on gender and age groups show that over a five-year
period from 2000-2004, females aged 15 to 44 experienced
a 206 percent increase in gonorrhea incidence. This
is about 2 times the rate of increase experienced by
males during the same period.
The Hawai'i
Department of Health Gonorrhea Screening Program, in
2003, implemented a new, more sensitive screening test.
The implementation of the new test may have contributed
to the disproportunate increase in the number of females
detected for gonorrhea because participants of the Chlamydia
Screening Program were screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea.2
The highest
rates are for those aged 20-24.
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