CDC recommends using antibiotic as a 'morning after pill' for STDs - to halt epidemic of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea READ MORE: America's STD hotspots laid bare in new analysis By Luke Andrews Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 18:00 BST, 4 June 2024 | Updated: 18:17 BST, 4 June 2024 e-mail 6 View comments Doctors are being told to consider prescribing a 'morning after pill' after sex to tackle the nationwide explosion of STD infections. The CDC released new guidance today that recommends the antibiotic doxycycline be prescribed within 72 hours of unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sex with a new or recurring partner.
Studies suggest the drug could prevent up to 70 percent of chlamydia and syphilis infections and up to 50 percent of gonorrhea cases. It works by killing bacteria before they become so advanced they cause symptoms and can be transmitted to others. It comes amid an 'STD epidemic' in the US , with nearly 700,000 more Americans now catching chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis every year compared to before the Covid pandemic.
Philadelphia reported the highest rate of STDs in 2022, followed closely by Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi The new recommendations apply to gay and bisexual men and transgender women with a history of at least one STI. But it may also be available to heterosexual men and women should they go to doctors fearing they have been exposed to an STI. The guidance, published today, reads that for these groups 'providers should use .
