Gonorrhea Situation in Thailand, 2000 – 2009

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine epidemiological characteristics of sexually transmitted infection (STI), particularly gonorrhea (GC), in Thailand during 2000 – 2009. STI surveillance data from the Bureau of Epidemiology, Ministry of Public Health, during 2000 – 2009 were reviewed and analyzed. Frequency and rate were used to present the results of analysis. The annual rates per 100,000 population of STI slightly changed during 2000 – 2007 (25.20 in 2000 and 25.54 in 2007), but the figure rapidly increased to 30.00 per 100,000 in 2008 and 37.22 per 100,000 in 2009. During the study period, an increasing trend of GC rates was observed, with the highest rate (11.33 per 100,000) in 2009. During 2000 – 2002, the GC rates were not significantly different between males and females but the rates for males were much higher than those for females from 2003 – 2009. Persons 15 – 24 years old had the highest rates of GC during 2002 – 2009. A rapid increasing trend of GC rates was also found in this age group. The greatest proportion of GC cases was a worker/labor. However, the infection was increasingly reported among students. The highest annual GC rates by region were in the central during 2000 – 2007 in the northern in 2008 – 2009. It is essential to strengthen effective STI prevention and control programs, particularly for those 15 – 24 years old.