Outcomes of Traditional and Enhanced Gonorrhea Partner Services in the Strengthening the US Response to Resistant Gonorrhea Project, 2017 to 2019.

INTRODUCTION: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented Strengthening the US Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG) to build local detection and response capacity and evaluate responses to antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea outbreaks, including partner services for gonorrhea. We evaluated outcomes of traditional partner services conducted under SURRG, which involved (1) counseling index patients and eliciting sexual partners; (2) interviewing, testing, and treating partners; and (3) providing partner services to partners newly diagnosed with gonorrhea. We also evaluated outcomes of enhanced partner services, which additionally involved interviewing and testing partners of persons who tested negative, and social contacts of index patients and partners. METHODS: We analyzed partner services investigation data from 8 jurisdictions participating in SURRG from 2017 to 2019. We summed total index patients, partners from traditional partner services, and partners and contacts from enhanced partner services, and calculated partner services outcomes among partners and contacts. We also visualized sexual networks from partner services data. RESULTS: Of 1242 index patients identified, 506 named at least 1 sexual partner. Traditional partner services yielded 1088 sexual partners, and 105 were newly diagnosed with gonorrhea. Enhanced partner services yielded an additional 59 sexual partners and 52 social contacts. Of those partners and contacts, 3 were newly diagnosed with gonorrhea. Network visualization revealed sparse networks with few complex partnership clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional partner services for gonorrhea may be useful for eliciting, notifying, and diagnosing partners of index patients in an outbreak setting. Enhanced partner services are unlikely to be effective for eliciting, notifying, and diagnosing a substantial number of additional people.

COVID-19 Outbreak - New York City, February 29-June 1, 2020.

New York City (NYC) was an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States during spring 2020 (1). During March-May 2020, approximately 203,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). To obtain more complete data, DOHMH used supplementary information sources and relied on direct data importation and matching of patient identifiers for data on hospitalization status, the occurrence of death, race/ethnicity, and presence of underlying medical conditions. The highest rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were concentrated in communities of color, high-poverty areas, and among persons aged ≥75 years or with underlying conditions. The crude fatality rate was 9.2% overall and 32.1% among hospitalized patients. Using these data to prevent additional infections among NYC residents during subsequent waves of the pandemic, particularly among those at highest risk for hospitalization and death, is critical. Mitigating COVID-19 transmission among vulnerable groups at high risk for hospitalization and death is an urgent priority. Similar to NYC, other jurisdictions might find the use of supplementary information sources valuable in their efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections.

Characteristics of Persons Who Died with COVID-19 - United States, February 12-May 18, 2020.

During January 1, 2020-May 18, 2020, approximately 1.3 million cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 83,000 COVID-19-associated deaths were reported in the United States (1). Understanding the demographic and clinical characteristics of decedents could inform medical and public health interventions focused on preventing COVID-19-associated mortality. This report describes decedents with laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using data from 1) the standardized CDC case-report form (case-based surveillance) (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/reporting-pui.html) and 2) supplementary data (supplemental surveillance), such as underlying medical conditions and location of death, obtained through collaboration between CDC and 16 public health jurisdictions (15 states and New York City).

The Epidemiology of Syphilis in New York City: Historic Trends and the Current Outbreak Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Male primary and secondary (P&S) and early latent syphilis cases have increased markedly in New York City (NYC) after a historic nadir in 1998. The majority of cases are among men who have sex with men (MSM). We describe the epidemiology of syphilis among NYC males to provide a model of how 1 jurisdiction collects, analyzes, interprets, uses, and disseminates local data to guide programmatic activities directed at syphilis control. METHODS: We analyzed trends in reported infectious syphilis cases using routinely collected surveillance and case investigation data. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection status was ascertained by routine deterministic match between sexually transmitted infection and HIV surveillance registries, and self-report. We mapped diagnosing facilities to display the relative contribution of different public/private facilities. Characteristics of male syphilis cases diagnosed in public sexual health (SH) clinics were compared to those diagnosed elsewhere. RESULTS: During 2012 to 2016, male P&S syphilis case rates increased 81%, from 24.8 to 44.8/100,000 (1832 cases in 2016); the highest rates were among black non-Hispanic men. Overall, 87.6% (902/1030) of interviewed men in 2016 disclosed 1 or more male partner. The HIV coinfection rates are high among MSM with P&S syphilis (43.4%; 394/907 in 2016), but appear to be decreasing (from 54.1% in 2012). Maps highlight SH clinics' contribution to diagnosing P&S syphilis cases among men of color. HIV coinfection rates were lower among men with P&S syphilis diagnosed in SH clinics than among those diagnosed elsewhere (34%, SH clinics vs 49%; other settings, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis infections continue to increase among MSM in NYC. Novel interventions responsive to the drivers of the current outbreak are needed.