Characterizing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Gonorrhea Rates

During 2000–2010, the national gonorrhea rate decreased 21.7%, from 128.7 to 100.8 cases/100,000 population. However, large racial disparities in gonorrhea rates persist, with the rate among blacks 18.7 times the rate among whites in 2010. This represents the largest racial disparity seen among any of the nationally notifiable diseases. This presentation uses the latest data from multiple surveillance sources, including national case reports, population surveys, and enhanced surveillance systems, to describe current gonorrhea epidemiology and recent trends in the United States, to describe the limitations of existing surveillance systems and to better characterize racial disparities.