Warning:

This document is being maintained for historical purposes, but is now out of date. To view current guidelines please visit:

• STD Treatment Guidelines   at http://www.cdc.gov/STD/treatment

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1993 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines

09/24/1993

SUGGESTED CITATION
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1993 Sexually
transmitted diseases treatment guidelines. MMWR 1993;42(No. RR-14):
{inclusive page numbers}.

CIO Responsible for this publication:
National Center for Prevention Services,
Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV Prevention

Ophthalmia Neonatorum Prophylaxis
     
     Instillation of a prophylactic agent into the eyes of all
newborn infants is recommended to prevent gonococcal ophthalmia
neonatorum and is required by law in most states. Although all the
regimens that follow effectively prevent gonococcal eye disease,
their efficacy in preventing chlamydial eye disease is not clear.
Furthermore, they do not eliminate nasopharyngeal colonization with
C. trachomatis. Treatment of gonococcal and chlamydial infections
among pregnant women is the best method for preventing neonatal
gonococcal and chlamydial disease. However, ocular prophylaxis
should continue because it can prevent gonococcal ophthalmia and,
in some populations, greater than 10% of pregnant women may receive
no prenatal care.

Prophylaxis -
Recommended Preparations -
     Silver nitrate (1%) aqueous solution in a single application
                            or
     Erythromycin (0.5%) ophthalmic ointment in a single
     application
                            or
     Tetracycline ophthalmic ointment (1%) in a single application.

     One of the above preparations should be instilled into the
eyes of every neonate as soon as possible after delivery. If
prophylaxis is delayed (i.e., not administered in the delivery
room), hospitals should establish a monitoring system to see that
all infants receive prophylaxis. All infants should be administered
ocular prophylaxis, whether delivery is vaginal or caesarian.
Single-use tubes or ampules are preferable to multiple-use tubes.
Bacitracin is not effective.

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